Imperial Secrets - 3

Chen Bin immediately pointed northwards into the ravine.

Jiang Hanqing surveyed the surrounding terrain, pointed to a forest at the foot of the mountain to the east, and ordered everyone, "Everyone, hide in the forest ahead. Jiang Longxiang and Li Kebiao, you two go on foot to scout out their origins. Be careful not to be discovered!"

Jiang and Li agreed and galloped northwards along the ravine. Jiang Hanqing and the others led their horses and hid in the chosen forest.

Almost half an hour passed, and Jiang and Li still hadn't returned. Jiang Hanqing and the others were secretly alarmed, wondering if the two had been discovered and captured. Just

as they were worrying, they heard Chen Bin say joyfully beside them, "Young Master, they're back!" Jiang Hanqing was delighted to hear this, looked up, and saw the two of them leaping out of the forest and running towards them.

Jiang Longxiang and Li Kebiao rushed to Jiang Hanqing's side, panting heavily, and said, "Young...Young Master, the enemy...there are...forty-two people, and five of them are masked women. They're all armed with long weapons, and most of them also carry light crossbows suitable for mountain use. They're not far ahead; just follow this ravine, around that hill, and you'll reach them. It's a clearing in the ravine, with a relatively open view. We didn't dare get too close; we could only hide on the hill and spy from afar. They probably considered the terrain; even if they set up sentries, it wouldn't be very effective. When we arrived, we saw them all sitting in a circle on the ground eating, just like we had before, without any sentries. The enemy..." Some of them were dressed in green samurai uniforms, making them impossible to spot in the woods. None of them wore any insignia or other identifying symbols. We couldn't tell who was leading them! They spoke softly, and we only caught glimpses of their conversation because of the wind. They mentioned our names, calling us the Jiang family, discussed our route, and suggested we might be half a day's journey ahead, urging us to catch up quickly. We didn't hear anything else. "We looked around for a while, but couldn't find anything, and we were worried about you, Young Master, so we came back!"

Jiang Hanqing was completely bewildered, unsure of who these people were. He glanced around at the others, who all looked equally confused.

Just as everyone was racking their brains, Chen Bin spoke up: "Young Master! In my humble opinion, these people are clearly after us. Given the current situation, I can't imagine what good they could possibly be!"

Jiang Hanqing glanced at his increasingly trusted subordinate and nodded, signaling him to continue.

Seeing the encouraging look on his young master's face, Chen Bin felt a surge of excitement. He swallowed hard and said, "Young Master, I think we have two paths we can take! One is to ignore it, pretend we know nothing, and continue on our way. However, we might run into these people at any time, and they might actually be our enemies, which would be troublesome. I don't think this approach is ideal."

Everyone agreed, nodding in agreement.

Chen Bin continued, "As for the other method... it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free! These people have appeared here at this time and mentioned catching up with us as soon as possible. I think they can't possibly be our friends, right? For our safety, we should strike first and eliminate them all!"

Hearing Chen Bin's ruthless method, everyone was shocked and looked at each other in dismay.

Jiang Hanqing secretly began to consider. He felt that Chen Bin's words made a lot of sense. These suspicious people were definitely not warriors from his family, and he couldn't think of any other friends who would help him. If the other side is indeed an enemy, and we don't take action now, there's a real fear of endless trouble in the future!

Seeing Jiang Hanqing bow his head in silence, Chen Bin said urgently, "Young Master! Time is of the essence, please make a decision quickly!"

Hearing this, Jiang Hanqing no longer hesitated, raised his head firmly, and said, "Alright! Chen Bin is right, better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free! Act immediately and eliminate them

completely. Everyone, be quick!" At his command, everyone immediately began to move. They tied their warhorses to the woods, and led by Jiang and Li, the group moved stealthily along the foot of the mountain. They were careful along the way, afraid of making any noise that might alert the enemy. In

early autumn, the mountain wind howled, masking the sound of their footsteps on the withered branches and leaves.

Although Jiang Hanqing had fought on the battlefield with his mother in the Western Regions, this was the first time in his life he had participated in something like a martial arts battle. While he couldn't say he was afraid, he was still a little nervous.

Feeling his heart pounding, Jiang Hanqing blushed slightly and glanced around at the people, worried that their nervousness might lead them to underestimate him. However, his worries were unnecessary; in this environment, who would notice his nervousness? In fact, who wouldn't be nervous? Looking at the flushed faces and heavy breathing of everyone around him, Jiang Hanqing felt relieved. At least he knew that everyone here was in no better shape than him.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, the group reached a bend in the ravine. Jiang Longxiang, who was leading the way, turned and gestured to the group, indicating that the enemy's resting place was just ahead after turning the corner.

To avoid being discovered by the enemy as soon as they turned the corner, the group left the path at the foot of the mountain and climbed up the slope. They planned to cross over from the top and then attack the enemy from above.

After crossing the mountain, through the gaps in the trees, the group saw the green-clad warriors still resting at the foot of the mountain.

Jiang Hanqing counted them; sure enough, there were forty-two green-clad figures, five of whom were veiled women. These men, perhaps having just finished lunch, were resting in small groups on the grassy slopes of the mountain gully. Horses grazed freely, seemingly completely unsuspecting.

Staring at the flock of lambs to the slaughter below, the seasoned Jiang family warriors' eyes gleamed with ferocity. Having trained for a thousand days to use them in one, none of them felt fear at this moment; their hearts were filled only with the heroic spirit of killing to defend their family and the desire to demonstrate their abilities before their young master.

Looking at his subordinates, whose faces radiated a murderous urge, Jiang Hanqing nodded in satisfaction, thinking, "Good! Truly worthy of being the elite scions of my Jiang family! Today they can test their mettle!" Jiang

Hanqing waved his hand, signaling his men to prepare for action. The nineteen men spread out in a fan shape through the woods, slowly moving down the gentle slope. When they were about four hundred paces from the foot of the mountain, they stopped, squatted down, and took out their exquisitely crafted, specially made folding crossbows from their backs. This crossbow was a powerful weapon specially crafted by the Jiang family's skilled craftsmen for their warriors, with a range of 500 paces. When not in use, it folded up easily, making it lightweight and portable, and could be carried in a backpack.

The group unfolded their crossbows, nocked their bolts, and each selected an enemy to aim at. They awaited Jiang Hanqing's command to fire arrows, felling nearly half of the enemy .

Jiang Hanqing assessed the situation, confirming the group was unprepared, and suddenly swung his arm.

"Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh..." With the twang of the bowstrings, a series of arrows whistled through the air. Nineteen crossbows fired almost simultaneously.

"Ah...ah...ah..." A series of screams erupted as the green-clad men in the ravine immediately fell.

The remaining men rolled frantically on the ground, trying to find cover from the arrows that seemed to have come from nowhere.

They fled in panic, drawing their weapons and looking around frantically for the enemy's location.

Before they could even locate the enemy, the Jiang family unleashed a second volley of arrows. Another scream rang out, and more of the green-clad men fell. At this moment, the remaining dozen or so green-clad men finally figured out the direction from which the arrows had come and charged forward, shouting. Among them were the five women. Driven by male instinct, the Jiang family members did not choose the women as their targets.

Jiang Hanqing laughed loudly, drew his longsword, and shouted, "Men, kill!" He then charged forward. The others quickly drew their weapons and followed closely behind.

The two groups soon clashed. The first to meet Jiang Hanqing was a bearded man in his forties. Upon seeing Jiang Hanqing, his eyes flashed with ferocity, and he swung his sword, roaring angrily, "You little thief Hanqing! You dare to ambush us when we're not paying attention!"

Jiang Hanqing forcefully parried the man's sword, pushing it back with both arms. The man took a slight step back, then immediately charged again, his sword flashing like a storm, relentlessly slashing at Jiang Hanqing with incredible momentum and exquisite technique.

Jiang Hanqing desperately withstood the enemy's attacks, secretly astonished by the opponent's superior swordsmanship. He couldn't help but shout, "You little thief! You actually possess such martial arts skills! Who are you? How do you recognize this young master?"

The bearded man chuckled coldly, "I'm here to send you on your way! I didn't expect to be so careless and have been ambushed by you, you little thief! But don't even think about escaping my grasp now." As he spoke, the bearded man's attacks didn't falter at all; instead, they grew increasingly fierce. His sword flashed and slashed, its movements ever-changing.

Jiang Hanqing, whose martial arts were already considered top-tier in the empire, could only barely hold on, sweating profusely. Surprised, Jiang Hanqing carefully observed his opponent's swordsmanship, trying to discern his origins. However, after observing for a long time, Jiang Hanqing, who always prided himself on his extensive knowledge, still couldn't figure out the origin of his opponent's swordsmanship.

After enduring about a hundred moves, Jiang Hanqing knew that this couldn't continue. He continued to desperately hold on while stealing glances at the surrounding situation. While the two were locked in a fierce battle, a chaotic fight was raging nearby. The Jiang family had a slight numerical advantage, but only a slight edge; determining a victor was no easy task. The five women's martial arts were surprisingly formidable. Among the remaining green-clad figures, aside from the bearded woman, they were among the most skilled. Each of them was handling two Jiang family warriors, even gaining a slight advantage, leaving their opponents in a sorry state.

Just as Jiang Hanqing glanced sideways, momentarily distracted, the bearded man suddenly unleashed two powerful sword strikes. The force was so great that Jiang Hanqing staggered back several steps, his sword slipping from his grasp. The bearded man laughed loudly, then took two steps forward, thrusting his sword at Jiang Hanqing. Seeing the sword about to pierce him, some of the Jiang family members who witnessed the scene cried out.

Just when everyone thought Jiang Hanqing was doomed, he suddenly reached out his right hand and grabbed the blade that was about to pierce his body. The bearded man's powerful thrust was caught by Jiang Hanqing's bare hands. Even more astonishingly, not a drop of blood flowed from his hand gripping the blade. The bearded man's smile froze instantly. He launched a lightning-fast right kick towards Jiang Hanqing's groin, simultaneously pulling back on the sword hilt with his right hand.

However, Jiang Hanqing miraculously dodged the bearded man's swift kick, and simultaneously loosened his grip on the enemy's sword. The bearded man, caught off guard, lost control of his momentum, and the sword hilt struck Jiang Hanqing heavily in the chest.

"Crack!...Ah..." The bearded man screamed, blood spilling from his mouth, his body trembling and collapsing. Jiang Hanqing leaped to the bearded man's side and forcefully plunged his hands into his chest. With a whoosh, the sword pierced the bearded man's chest like a hot knife through butter. The bearded man swayed and fell to the ground, his dying eyes fixed on Jiang Hanqing with a terrifying gaze, struggling to utter something: "You...so you are..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Hanqing abruptly pulled his bloodied hands from his chest. The bearded man, his eyes wide with fury, collapsed to the ground with a thud, managing to exhale his last breath.

This series of actions occurred in an extremely short time, while the fierce battle around them continued. However, when Jiang Hanqing was in danger, everyone's gaze involuntarily drifted in his direction, so almost everyone witnessed the ensuing fight. Those present were all seasoned warriors, especially the Jiang family's warriors, most of whom had years of experience fighting in the Western Regions. Yet, seeing Jiang Hanqing plunge his hands into the bearded man's chest filled them with nausea. The five women in green moved with noticeably greater speed.

Clearly, the bloody scene before them had shocked them like never before; they probably never dreamed that the seemingly refined Jiang Hanqing could be so cruel and bloodthirsty.

Jiang Hanqing didn't even glance at the bearded man's corpse. He hurriedly picked up his longsword and ran to help the Jiang family warriors who were locked in combat. With his assistance, the Jiang family warriors immediately gained the upper hand. The green-clad warrior, witnessing the most skilled of the bearded men die such a gruesome death, lost all will to fight. He only wanted to escape, but how could the Jiang family warriors, with their numerical advantage and well-trained discipline, allow them to succeed? In no time, they had cut down several green-clad warriors. Warriors freed to fight continued to reinforce their still-fighting comrades, gradually forming an encirclement.

Seeing the situation was dire, the remaining green-clad warriors suddenly let out a series of whistles and unleashed another set of sword techniques, launching a fierce, storm-like attack. However, the Jiang family warriors, who already held an absolute advantage, knew that this was merely a desperate struggle. As long as the hunters were cautious and didn't act rashly, what they had gained would not escape them. They held their position tightly, cautiously advancing towards the enemy step by step. The encirclement tightened, gradually turning their advantage into a victory.

Seeing that his side had firmly grasped control, Jiang Hanqing withdrew from the fierce fighting and stood by, observing his opponents, trying to find clues to determine their true identities. The green-clad warriors in the encirclement held out for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before two more were felled by the Jiang family, one of whom was a woman—the first of the five women to fall. At this point, only four women and two men remained fighting. Jiang Hanqing

sighed, abandoning his attempt to guess the origins of their martial arts. For hundreds of years, the Jiang family had collected countless martial arts manuals from across the land. Jiang Hanqing had diligently studied various schools of martial arts since childhood, believing he knew eight or nine tenths of the world's martial arts. But today, he had unfortunately encountered only the remaining ten or twenty. He thought

to himself, "It seems the road ahead will become increasingly difficult." Take these mysterious green-clad men for example. They must have a powerful force behind them. Their martial arts skills are almost on par with the elite warriors he personally selected, and the bearded man even had the upper hand in their fight, forcing him to use a move he would never use unless absolutely necessary. Thinking of this, Jiang Hanqing frowned: "That bearded man seems to have figured out the origin of my move! How could he know? How is that possible? There shouldn't be many people in the world who know this skill! Where did he hear of it? Where did these people come from? No! I have to capture someone and ask them about their origins." Growing increasingly worried, Jiang Hanqing hurriedly ordered his men to leave two survivors.

Just then, the situation changed slightly. With almost three Jiang family members attacking one, the remaining six green-clad warriors were already in a precarious situation, their defenses stretched thin and riddled with openings. Just as the Jiang family was about to capture them alive, one of the taller women suddenly let out a shrill scream. Hearing this scream, her companions instantly transformed. Their previously balanced and meticulous swordsmanship instantly turned into wide-ranging, desperate attacks. Under their storm-like counterattack, the Jiang family's offensive was momentarily halted.

Jiang Hanqing looked at the tall woman who had screamed and sneered, "Good! It seems you, you wretched woman, are the leader. Brothers, capture her alive!"

Hearing the Jiang family's thunderous response, the tall woman laughed angrily, "Jiang Hanqing! Don't be so smug! The road ahead is long! Even if we all die here today, our brothers and sisters will avenge us. But whether you can capture me today is another matter. Hmph…!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the woman suddenly pulled a belt from her waist, flicked it forcefully, and it transformed into a flexible sword. She wielded both swords simultaneously, her attacks becoming even more ferocious. The three Jiang family warriors fighting her hadn't expected her to produce such a flexible sword, and caught off guard, they were immediately overwhelmed and could only desperately cling to her attacks.

Seeing his enemies attempting to escape, Jiang Hanqing dared not be careless. He raised his longsword, leaped into the fray, and rushed to the woman, blocking her attacks. He ordered his three men to deal with the remaining enemies, while he faced her alone.

"You filthy woman, trying to run! Let me tell you, if I don't capture you today, you'll regret it!"

The woman remained silent, simply wielding her two swords like a whirlwind, making it impossible for Jiang Hanqing's sword strikes to penetrate. However, she also couldn't escape Jiang Hanqing's entanglement.

Seeing the opponent's impenetrable defense, Jiang Hanqing remained unhurried. His side held the advantage; why rush? His only goal was to entangle the enemy and prevent her escape. Once his men dealt with the other green-clad warriors, this woman would be easily captured.

Watching Jiang Hanqing's calm and collected movements, the woman grew even more anxious. She knew he was waiting for his men to finish off her companions before capturing her alive, but she couldn't think of a good way to escape. In her desperation, she suddenly heard two more screams, and another man and woman fell among the green-clad warriors. She was startled, her movements slowing, and a gap immediately appeared in her previously impenetrable defense.

Jiang Hanqing, who had been patiently waiting for an opportunity, wouldn't let this golden chance slip by. With a long laugh, he launched a fierce attack on the opening. A series of clashing swords rang out, and the green-clad woman's defense completely crumbled. Jiang Hanqing's longsword danced like a dragon emerging from its cave, forcing his opponent into a disarray, staggering and swaying, her heavy breathing emanating from beneath the woman's sweat-soaked veil.

"You should just surrender! Stop this futile resistance," Jiang Hanqing said with a smile, his hands moving without slowing, striking high and low, pressing forward relentlessly.

When the last remaining green-clad man's agonizing scream reached their ears as a Jiang family warrior struck him in the chest, the tall green-clad woman seemed to utterly lose hope. She swayed, her two swords falling from Jiang Hanqing's grasp. She sighed, her legs gave way, and she slumped to the ground.

The other two green-clad women were knocked from their weapons almost simultaneously, falling to the ground. As the Jiang family warriors rushed to capture the three women, they raised their arms to bite at their sleeves. The Jiang family warriors, who had long been wary of enemy suicide, were well aware of the purpose behind this action. Several quick-witted men immediately stopped them and bound them. Then, they tore open their sleeves, discovering poison hidden inside.

Others ripped off the three women's masks and gagged them with pieces of cloth to prevent them from biting their tongues in another suicide attempt. After doing this, the group finally had the chance to appreciate the three women who had fought so fiercely for so long. Beneath the masks lay three remarkably beautiful faces, truly deserving of the description "as beautiful as flowers and the moon." Their faces, flushed from the exertion, were even more alluring. Even the Jiang family members, accustomed to seeing beautiful women, couldn't help but click their tongues in admiration and whisper amongst themselves.

Jiang Hanqing glanced at the three women, seeing their dejected expressions and lack of further chance of death, and ignored them. He then ordered his men, who were still busy admiring the women's beauty, to quickly clear the battlefield and retreat to the woods where they had previously stored their warhorses.

The Jiang family warriors dared not delay, immediately abandoning their flower-viewing and moon-viewing mood and getting to work swiftly.

The well-trained warriors quickly arranged the enemy corpses and checked their belongings one by one.

However, after working for half a day, Jiang Hanqing was disappointed to find that these people carried nothing but their weapons and rations. Occasionally, a few maps were found on two people, but they were ordinary maps that could be bought on the market, nothing special. This group of green-clad men seemed to have come prepared, carrying nothing that would reveal their identities. Moreover, each of them, like the three women, had poison hidden in their sleeves, indicating they were all prepared to die. Looking at the three women slumped on the ground, Jiang Hanqing felt a surge of relief. If his men hadn't reacted quickly, there would be no survivors, and their identities would have been impossible to uncover, leading to countless troubles later. He resolved to use whatever means necessary to extract some useful information from these three women.

When the Jiang family returned to the place where the prisoners were hidden, Jiang Hanqing glanced at the sky. The sun had passed its zenith and was already slightly setting in the west. Estimating the time, he figured the fight had probably lasted for more than half an hour.

At this moment, Lin Fengxian whispered behind him, "Brother Qing, should we set off immediately, or interrogate these three wretched women first?"

Jiang Hanqing looked around and saw that everyone looked a little tired after the fight. He thought for a moment and said, "Capture those three women and interrogate them! Let the brothers rest for a bit so they'll be in good spirits for the journey. We'll take advantage of the darkness tonight to cover as much distance as possible!"

Lin Fengxian agreed and withdrew, instructing those who were alright to rest on the spot while ordering the three captured women to be brought over.

Several warriors carried the three women over, showing no mercy, and suddenly threw them to the ground. Bound by their hands and feet, the three women couldn't get up from the ground. They could only struggle on the ground, their eyes blazing with anger as they glared at Jiang Hanqing standing in front of them. If their mouths hadn't been gagged, countless vicious words would have poured out of them.

Jiang Hanqing smiled slightly and said, "Ladies, I'm truly sorry. If you hadn't initially threatened suicide, we wouldn't have treated you so harshly."

The tall woman in green who had previously confronted Jiang Hanqing made a muffled sound, seemingly trying to say something, but judging from her expression, it certainly wasn't anything pleasant.

Jiang Hanqing smiled and ordered his men, "Go! Take out the cloth that's been gagging this lady and let her speak freely."

A warrior quickly went over and removed the cloth from her mouth, but instead of leaving immediately, he squatted beside her, watching her warily, in case she suddenly chewed up her tongue and committed suicide.

The moment her mouth was freed, the woman immediately cursed, "You little thief, don't be so smug! You can do whatever you want with me now that I'm in your hands, but don't even think about getting anything from me. Hmph, like I said before, the road ahead is long! Someone will come and deal with you, you dog!"

The warrior standing beside her immediately grabbed her hair and shouted, "You audacious wench, how dare you insult my young master! Do you really have a death wish?"

"Bah! We were careless and were ambushed by you Jiang family dogs. You're ruthless. Now that I'm in your hands, I have no intention of leaving alive. You dog servant, stop pretending to be tough in front of me." The woman, who had already resigned herself to death, was not afraid of the warrior's threats at all.

The warrior was furious and was about to teach her a lesson. Jiang Hanqing stopped him, telling him not to argue with the woman anymore. Seeing that his young master had spoken, the warrior dared not say anything more and could only glare angrily at the woman from the side. The woman curled her lip in disdain, refusing to even glance at him again.

Jiang Hanqing, seeing the woman's unapproachable demeanor, wasn't angry. He simply stood aside, carefully observing the three women before him.

The taller woman, who appeared to be of higher status, looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with fair skin, a beautiful face, and a rather voluptuous figure—clearly the mature, young woman type. The other two women, who hadn't uttered a word so far, both appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, and were also quite pretty.

Both women lowered their heads slightly, their eyes fixed on the ground, lost in thought. However, their pale faces and slight trembling suggested they were filled with fear. But these two women had just been determined to commit suicide! How could someone so resolute in their decision suddenly be so afraid? Jiang Hanqing suddenly realized this was unusual and began to ponder the reason.

The taller woman noticed the sudden silence and looked up at Jiang Hanqing. Just then, Jiang Hanqing, deep in thought, unconsciously looked at her. Their eyes met. Seeing Jiang Hanqing staring at her face, this woman, who had just appeared so strong and brave, now showed a hint of shyness and nervousness. She initially tried to meet Jiang Hanqing's gaze, but quickly gave up and buried her head deep in her chest.

This action suddenly sparked a flash of inspiration in Jiang Hanqing's mind. He suddenly realized why a woman who wasn't afraid of death would be so terrified; he understood what they were truly afraid of; he knew their fear stemmed from the fact that they were women, and beautiful young women at that!

Jiang Hanqing was certain his judgment was correct. It seemed today's interrogation would yield great results. Thinking this, a smile appeared on Jiang Hanqing's face.

The tall woman couldn't help but steal another glance at Jiang Hanqing, only to see the smile on his face.

She suddenly sensed a dangerous atmosphere, gave him a wary look, and quickly turned to look at the other two women. When she saw how tense they were, her brows furrowed. She knew these two women's nervousness wasn't due to fear of death. They weren't ordinary cowards! There must be another reason! Could Jiang Hanqing's smile be because he saw through their true thoughts?

What could it be? Thinking of this, she suddenly realized something, inwardly cursed, and her body trembled.

Jiang Hanqing observed everything, nodding slightly, already having a plan for the upcoming interrogation. He had already devised a brilliant strategy to trick the enemy into talking.

Approaching a younger woman, Jiang Hanqing squatted down, lifting her head to face him. The woman glanced at Jiang Hanqing in fear, then quickly looked away, avoiding his gaze.

Jiang Hanqing gestured to someone nearby to remove the gag from her mouth, smiling gently as he asked, "Young lady, what's your name?"

The woman stole a glance at the taller woman, then firmly shook her head, saying, "Forget about it! I won't tell you anything! Before joining this operation today, I made up my mind that if it failed, I would rather die than reveal any secrets to the enemy. So, don't dream that I'll tell you anything! Just kill me!"

Although what the woman said didn't satisfy Jiang Hanqing at all, the smile on his face didn't fade for a moment.

After listening to the woman's words, he nodded and said casually, "I know you're not afraid of death, young lady. I admire your spirit. Don't worry, you won't die. I won't kill you! However, I feel that you seem to be afraid of something else! Young lady, can you tell me what you're thinking about?"

After saying this, Jiang Hanqing looked at her and chuckled coldly.

Chapter Seven Fatal Interrogation

Chapter Seven Fatal Interrogation

The young woman sensed something unusual in Jiang Hanqing's words and immediately panicked. She suppressed her fear and looked up at him, saying, "No! Don't... don't talk nonsense, I'm not afraid of anything, not at all! Kill me! I don't know anything!"

Jiang Hanqing sighed and said, "Young lady, why are you doing this? How about this, tell me your name, okay?"

The woman suddenly shouted hysterically, "Jiang Hanqing, you damned thief, don't ask anymore! I said I wouldn't tell you anything, don't dream about it!"

Jiang Hanqing shook his head and turned to look at another woman. The woman, seeing him looking over, simply turned her head away, refusing to even glance at him.

Jiang Hanqing said nothing more, stood up, walked a distance away, and stood there thinking for a while.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he muttered a few words to himself, then beckoned to Lin Fengxian, signaling him to come to his side. Lin Fengxian was about to move over when Jiang Hanqing seemed to remember something, slapped his head vigorously, and then gestured for Lin Fengxian not to come over.

Lin Fengxian was completely baffled and was about to ask when Jiang Hanqing beckoned to Chen Bin. Once Chen Bin was beside him, Jiang Hanqing began to dictate something to him.

The others were too far away to hear what Jiang Hanqing was saying. However, they could see the look of surprise suddenly appear on Chen Bin's face as he listened intently to Jiang Hanqing's words, and his expression kept changing afterward. He nodded repeatedly, glancing in their direction, his gaze clearly fixed on the three captured women.

The three women in green, seeing this, immediately understood that Jiang Hanqing was arranging his plan to deal with them. Judging from the expression on the face of the man Jiang Hanqing had called over, his method was certainly not good, and the three women couldn't help but feel a chill run down

their spines. A moment later, Jiang Hanqing seemed to have finished giving his instructions. He patted Chen Bin's shoulder twice, his expression still uncertain, and then called to Lin Fengxian, "Fengxian, let's go! Let's go rest for a bit. Leave things here to Chen Bin." He then walked towards the area where everyone was resting.

Lin Fengxian, full of suspicion, agreed and followed him.

Once they reached the resting area, Jiang Hanqing found a spot to sit and close his eyes to rest, ignoring Lin Fengxian's calls. Helpless, Lin Fengxian had no choice but to suppress his doubts and rest first.

Meanwhile, Chen Bin, his face grim, returned to the three women. He stood there staring at the three women for a long time, then suddenly sighed and asked, "Ladies, I don't want to make things difficult for you! I'll ask you one last time, are you willing to tell me your origins or not?"

The tall woman sneered twice and replied, "Are all people from the Jiang family so indecisive?! We've said it so many times, no! We'll never tell! Bring on whatever insidious tricks you have, and see if this old lady will even flinch! Hmph…!"

Chen Bin looked at the tall woman with a pitying gaze, shook his head, and turned to call out in the direction where everyone was resting, "Jiang Wuxiong, Jiang Lihai, you two come and help!"

Upon hearing their names called, the two women stood up. Seeing Jiang Hanqing sitting not far from them, still silent with her eyes closed, they agreed and went over.

Once the two were beside them, Chen Bin whispered his instructions to them. Upon hearing this, the two women's faces lit up with joy, nodding repeatedly at the three women with a look of utter desire. Seeing the expressions on their faces, the three women gradually understood that their only fear was about to become a reality.

In a moment of desperation, the tall woman attempted suicide by chewing her tongue. However, the samurai squatting beside her, watching her, noticed her jaw twitch and immediately grabbed her teeth, sneering, "You wretched woman, want to die? Not so easy!"

As he spoke, a wad of cloth was stuffed into her mouth.

Meanwhile, the samurai watching the young woman Jiang Hanqing had questioned, wanting to save time, simply gagged her as well.

After speaking to the two summoned warriors, Chen Bin walked over to the three women and asked again, "Ladies, this is your last chance! Will you talk or not?"

The three women, though terrified by the two lecherous warriors staring at them, shook their heads without hesitation.

Chen Bin didn't delay any longer, waving his hand, and the two warriors approached.

"Jiang Lihai, haven't you always liked mature women? Today you deal with the older one, and Jiang Wuxiong, you deal with the novice! Let them have their fun! Let's see if they confess or not!" Chen Bin said coldly, pointing at the woman who had spoken to Jiang Hanqing, signaling Jiang Wuxiong to go after her.

The three women panicked, twisting and struggling in vain. But bound by ropes, they couldn't break free.

The two warriors, leering, walked to the two pitiful women, calling for their brothers to help, and untied the ropes binding them.

As soon as their hands and feet were freed, the two women tried to attack the Jiang family warriors. The Jiang family warriors, who were prepared, wouldn't let them succeed. Two or three of them immediately pinned their hands and feet down, preventing them from moving.

Jiang Lihai was quicker, or rather, more lustful. First, with a "whoosh," he tore open the clothes of the struggling, tall woman, revealing a red bodice underneath.

Jiang Lihai looked at the pattern on the bodice and laughed wildly, "Heh heh! You stinking woman, even with a mandarin ducks playing in the water pattern! Haha… Today, I'll have a land-based mandarin duck play with you! Haha…!"

The two Jiang family warriors helping him also laughed loudly.

The tall woman twisted her body, her eyes glaring at Jiang Lihai as if spitting murderous flames.

Jiang Lihai slapped her hard across the face, cursing, "Pah! You filthy bitch! You think I'll back down just because you're glaring at me! Fuck your mother! My young master is begging you to confess, but you're being stubborn! Ah! You want to die, don't you? Dream on! Let me tell you, today I'm going to make you wish you were dead! Hehe…!"

With that, Jiang Lihai sneered and began to fondle and knead her breasts, lower abdomen, and vulva.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wuxiong, seeing Jiang Lihai begin his actions, naturally wasn't going to be outdone and quickly stripped the younger woman of her warrior's uniform. Seeing the tears glistening in the woman's eyes, Jiang Wuxiong said without a shred of pity, "Damn! Now you know you regret it? Too late! You bitch, if we don't teach you a lesson today, we're not Jiang family members!"

As he spoke, Jiang Wuxiong lifted the girl's bodice, shouting, "Hey! Lao Hai, are you having a lovey-dovey scene over there? I've got a pair of phoenixes here! Hehe…!"

Just then, Chen Bin spoke up: "Brothers, wait a minute. Maybe they've come up with another plan. Wait a minute, let me ask them. If they're willing …" "Confess, and we won't make things worse for you."

Before anyone could react, Chen Bin walked over to another young woman who was standing nearby, tears welling up in her eyes, and removed the gag from her mouth. He asked, "Girl, are you willing to confess? If you confess, we won't embarrass your sisters."

Before the young woman could answer, the tall, mature woman began to twist her body frantically. Her mouth was still gagged, so she could only make muffled sounds, but it was clear she was trying to stop the young woman from confessing.

Jiang Lihai grabbed her hair and slammed her head repeatedly against the ground, making loud thuds as he cursed, "Damn it! You stinking woman, are you really that shameless! Are you some kind of widow who wants me to fuck you to death?"

The young woman choked back tears and whispered to Chen Bin, "Please! Kill us! Don't treat them like this!"

Chen Bin said blankly, "So you still won't confess! Let me tell you the truth, my two brothers have a violent tendency towards women. Don't think they're just playing around with women. Your sisters will be in agony later! Think it over, don't hurt your sisters!"

The young woman hesitated for a long time but still didn't confess, crying, "Please. Spare them, I don't know anything!"

Chen Bin didn't answer her, stood up and walked to the side. The guys next to him immediately started moving again.

Jiang Lihai ripped off the tall woman's bodice, gazing at her firm breasts, which were too large to be fully grasped in one hand. He fondled them, clicking his tongue in admiration, "Brothers, come look! This woman's breasts are fucking big!"

At this moment, several Jiang family warriors who had been resting in the woods some distance away slipped over to join the fun, laughing and joking as they surrounded the tall woman, reaching out to caress her breasts, occasionally pinching her nipples.

"Haha, Lao Hai, look, this woman's getting aroused, her nipples are hard. Hehe, what a fucking slut."

"Yo-ho! Brothers, look, this slut's crotch is all wet! Haha…!" Several men shouted and yelled as they fondled the tall woman.

Jiang Wuxiong, on the other hand, wasn't having it, yelling, "You bastard! Why do you all like those old hags? Why doesn't anyone like the young chicks here?" Some

people immediately agreed and ran over to help. "Who says nobody likes it? Brother, I'll help you out. Hehe, I love fresh chicks!"

By this time, Jiang Lihai and his group had completely stripped the woman naked. The young woman's voluptuous body was laid bare before everyone. The crowd became even more excited, hurling insults at the woman while their hands groped and pinched her body without hesitation. The young woman's body was flushed red, whether from excitement or from the rough handling of the men. Her vulva was incredibly alluring, her labia neatly closed. Her pubic hair was short, originating from her lower abdomen and extending densely down her labia towards her anus. Judging from its beautiful shape, it was likely regularly trimmed.

Jiang Lihai lewdly parted the woman's labia, revealing the pink vaginal walls. He ran his fingers along the vaginal walls, letting the woman's secretions wet his fingers, before inserting two fingers deep into her vagina.

Tears of humiliation streamed from the tall woman's eyes. However, perhaps because she had resigned herself to her fate, her body, which had been struggling desperately just moments before, was now completely still, allowing the men to defile her beautiful body.

Jiang Lihai's fingers continued to thrust in and out of her body, and gradually, vaginal fluid flowed from her vaginal opening along with the thrusting of his fingers. The woman's body also began to twist slightly.

"Hehe, look at this slut, she reacts after just a little playing with her. Damn! So fucking despicable!"

At this moment, Jiang Lihai suddenly grabbed a few pubic hairs of the woman, pulled them out forcefully. The woman's body instantly stiffened, and her eyes rolled back in pain.

"Haha! Lao Hai, what are you doing plucking that woman's pubic hair? Planning to keep it as a token of your love? Be careful your wife finds out when you get home, she'll fight you to the death!"

"Pah! What do you mean, a token of love! If you want it, take it! Damn! You're just talking nonsense. I saw this slut seemed to be enjoying it, so I wanted to teach her a lesson. Otherwise, she'd think we're just gigolos serving her."

"Hehe! That makes sense! Brothers, come on! Come on! Everyone, pluck a tuft and make her a bald woman!"

Amidst laughter, the men actually started to act. They plucked tufts of hair, one after another. Grabbing a handful of hair, they didn't care about the woman's life or death, and just pulled hard, and the tuft of hair was gone.

The woman writhed in agony, desperately trying to kick and flail her arms, but how could a woman possibly break free from the grip of several burly men? Her efforts were futile. She groaned incoherently, the gag completely soaked, saliva constantly dripping from the corners of her mouth. Each time her pubic hair was plucked, her eyes would widen in pain, a few tears streaming down her face, followed by her eyes rolling back in agony before closing again, only to be met with the next wave of suffering.

Under these circumstances, the hair on her pubic area quickly thinned, and blood began to seep from the pores of the roughly plucked hairs. In no time, her vulva, resembling a white tiger, was sparsely haired and covered in blood.

By the time the Jiang family noticed the woman's reaction, she had already fainted, her eyes rolling back in a deathly light, from the continuous, intense pain.

"Damn! How did she faint! What's the point of playing with her now? She's like a corpse, what's the fun in that?" Jiang Lihai complained.

"Then hurry up and wake her up! Pinch her philtrum!" someone next to him reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lihai busied himself, pinching the tall woman's philtrum hard, trying to wake her up.

At the same time, Jiang Wuxiong on the other side pinched the labia of the woman he was playing with, pulling them incessantly, slapping the girl's delicate face and small breasts repeatedly, leaving red handprints on her tender skin.

When tears of pain streamed from the girl's eyes, Jiang Wuxiong took off his pants, revealing his already erect penis, and squatted between the girl's legs. He parted the girl's tightly closed labia with one hand, held his penis with the other, rubbed it against her vulva a couple of times, and moistened his glans with her vaginal fluid. Then, aiming at the girl's vagina, he thrust hard. He had expected considerable resistance, but to his surprise, it was an incredibly smooth thrust all the way in!

He roared angrily, "Damn it! This bitch isn't a virgin! Bah! Fuck her, you dead slut!"

Those around him laughed, "Xiongzi, are you out of your mind? Didn't you call her a bitch yourself? How could a bitch be a virgin? Even if she were, it wouldn't be your turn to be the first! Heh, you're lucky to have one to fuck. Stop yelling and complaining, you're ungrateful."

Jiang Wuxiong was in no mood to pay them any attention. He hoisted the girl's legs onto his shoulders and began his vigorous work. His large hands slapped against the girl's breasts and abdomen. Each thrust of his penis slammed heavily against the girl's clitoris.

Meanwhile, the tall woman had woken from her unconsciousness. Jiang Lihai roared, "You damn bitch, you actually passed out like that! You think I'd just let you off so easily?! Bah! I had to go through all that trouble to pinch your philtrum! No way, I'm going to teach you a lesson. What to do? Here's some water for you!"

Growing angrier with each word, Jiang Lihai made his own. He stood to the side of the tall woman's head, pulled out his penis, and urinated on her face.

The tall woman, who had just regained consciousness, felt a wave of bitterness and almost fainted again.

Another girl watching from the sidelines could no longer hold back, crying out repeatedly, "Brothers! Please, spare us! Give us a quick death! Waaah... How could you do this!"

Seeing that everyone was busy humiliating the two women and ignoring her, she had no choice but to turn to Chen Bin and plead, "Brother, please! Spare my sister-in-law and sister! Don't torture them like this!"

Chen Bin glanced at her and said, "They are your sister-in-law and sister?"

"Yes! The older one is my sister-in-law, and the other one is my sister! Please have mercy and spare them!"

"Tell me your names first! Otherwise, there's nothing to talk about!" Chen Bin said coldly.

The girl hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to answer. She subconsciously turned to look at the two women, seemingly hoping to get some help from them. But she witnessed a scene that caused her immense pain.

Jiang Wuxiong tied a thin rope to one of the nipples of the younger girl he was playing with, then stood up, stepped on her lower abdomen, and pulled hard on the rope. The girl's nipples were pulled forward, her breasts distorted and deformed. Her eyes bulged with pain, her eyeballs seemingly about to pop out.

A low growl escaped her throat.

Seeing this cruel scene, the girl could no longer contain herself and cried out, "I'll talk! Stop torturing her! My name is Sun Yanhong. The younger woman is my older sister, Sun Yanmei. The taller, older woman is my sister-in-law, Ma Qingyun. Please… let them go! Stop torturing them!… Waaah…!"

Chen Bin shook his head and said, "If you had just spoken up earlier, none of this would have happened! Explain your background and motives clearly. We will naturally let you go!"

The girl named Sun Yanhong screamed, "Don't even think about it! I won't tell you any of that! You liar, I've already told you our names. Why won't you let them go! You bastard! Torture us to death, and one day you'll get your retribution!"

“When did I ever promise you that I would let them go after you told me your names? Do you think we're satisfied just because we know your names? But Miss, I can tell you clearly! As long as you tell me your origins and purpose, I can stop torturing them! Think about it! The torture won't stop until you tell me.”

Sun Yanhong closed her eyes and stopped speaking.

Chen Bin turned to look at the place where the two women were being tortured and said, “Jiang Lihai, now that you've torn off the gags from those two women, will they still commit suicide?”

Jiang Lihai, who had already inserted his penis deep into the anus of the woman named Ma Qingyun and was thrusting violently, replied with heavy breaths, “Ah… oh… no problem… they… definitely don't have the strength to commit suicide… hehe… torn it off… don't worry… no problem!”

Chen Bin thought for a moment and said, “Then tear off the gag from your woman, and don't rush the one over there, Wu Xiong.”

A warrior next to him quickly did as he was told and took the gag out of Ma Qingyun's mouth.

Ma Qingyun had already woken up from the dizziness she had experienced while having her hair plucked. As soon as the gag left her mouth, everyone heard the sound coming from her mouth. Inside, there were painful groans, lewd cries from being played with by several men, sobs, and indistinct pleas for mercy.

"Ah... Waaah... No more... Please... Please... Kill me... Don't torture me anymore... Waaah...!"

Chen Bin continued, speaking to Sun Yanhong, "Look at this! Your sister-in-law has been tortured like this, she doesn't even have the strength to bite her tongue and commit suicide. But what strength does she need? I think it's mainly because her heart is dead. She's been tortured to the point of complete collapse, she can no longer think about anything. You could say she doesn't even have the courage to bite her tongue and commit suicide. She can only eke out a living here. Can you bear to watch her suffer?"

Sun Yanhong just sobbed softly, ignoring Chen Bin's questions.

Over there, Jiang Lihai trembled and ejaculated thick semen into Ma Qingyun's anus. With a gasp, he pulled out his penis, stepped aside, and exclaimed repeatedly, "Damn! This bitch's asshole is fucking amazing! So tight! Her husband must have barely used it! Hehe, so good! So fucking good!"

As soon as he dismounted, another warrior quickly took his place. He spurred his horse, thrusting his spear into Ma Qingyun's wet vagina, pounding into her hard.

Jiang Lihai pulled up his pants, came to Chen Bin's side, and looked at Sun Yanhong, asking, "Brother Chen, this little wench still won't talk? Damn, looks like I'll have to show her some real brutality!"

Chen Bin glanced at Sun Yanhong, and seeing that she still didn't speak, he nodded and said, "Then go ahead! Just don't kill her right away."

"Don't worry! Brother Chen! I'll take it slow. It's not that easy for her to die all at once!"

Sun Yanhong trembled slightly upon hearing their conversation, but still remained silent.

At this moment, Jiang Lihai began to act. He called out to the men who were playing with Ma Qingyun, "Hey! Brothers, wait a minute! Let me give this woman a little taste, so that the woman next to her won't pretend to be silent."

"Damn! Lao Hai, you've gone too far. You've had your fun in this woman's asshole, and you don't care about the brothers' lives, huh? At least you should wait until I finish this round before you talk, right? There's no such thing as half-hearted!"

The warrior who had just inserted his penis into Ma Qingyun's vagina shouted indignantly while busy thrusting his penis in and out.

The others who were still pinching and playing with Ma Qingyun's breasts and lower abdomen also hurriedly echoed.

"Hehe! It's not that I'm unwilling. The key is that Brother Chen is still waiting there to question us! We're just cooperating with their work, brothers, we need to distinguish between primary and secondary tasks! Otherwise, if the young master blames us, no one can take the responsibility! Isn't there another one over there? Go do that one!"

The others had no choice but to agree. The one who was penetrating the vagina asked, "How about you do yours and I'll do mine? Is that okay?"

Jiang Lihai had no choice but to say, "Alright! But don't say it's disgusting later!"

"No way! Come on! Brother, you can do yours! I'll just finish this one shot!"

Jiang Lihai suddenly ran to the side, grabbed a short sword, and rushed over. The guy who was busy plowing the field was startled and quickly withdrew from the woman's body, jumping to the side and roaring, "Jiang Lihai, what are you doing? Trying to fight me?"

Jiang Lihai laughed instead of getting angry, "Damn it! You think I'm angry with you just because I drew my sword? Didn't you say you'd do yours and I'd do mine? I'm using this sword to deal with that woman!"

"Wow! No way! Lao Hai, what are you doing?!"

"Are you going to kill this woman?" Everyone became interested after hearing his words and asked in unison.

"Just open your eyes and watch! Why ask questions!" Jiang Lihai replied smugly.

Walking up to Ma Qingyun, Jiang Lihai looked at her now dim eyes, waved the short sword in his hand, and said, "Girl! I'm really sorry, but I'm going to do something even more ruthless! Don't blame me, blame yourselves! Who told you not to honestly confess your origins?"

Ma Qingyun moved her lips weakly, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't have the strength to speak. In the end, she expressed her meaning with a pursed mouth.

Jiang Lihai laughed heartily, giving her a thumbs-up and saying, "Good! You've got guts, girl! I, Jiang Lihai, admire you! However, we're now on opposing sides, so I'll have to offend you today!"

He then walked to her side, touched Ma Qingyun's breasts, and exclaimed, "Good! Truly fine! I, Jiang Lihai, have seen many women, but I've never seen such beautiful breasts before. What a pity! What a pity!"

He then turned to the curious onlookers and said, "Look, these breasts are full and high, and despite their size and weight, they haven't sagged at all. They're so well-maintained! The nipples are red and tender, further enhancing their beauty against the smooth, white skin of the breasts. Alas! What a pity! What a pity!"

Someone nearby exclaimed, "Old Hai! You wouldn't be using that sword against such beautiful breasts, would you?"

Jiang Lihai didn't answer, but continued to fondle the breasts he so admired for a while, and then, amidst the exclamations of the crowd, suddenly slashed them with his short sword.

"Ah!" Ma Qingyun, who had been unable to speak just moments before, now let out a blood-curdling scream of pain.

Seeing this, Sun Yanhong could no longer bear it. Trembling, she turned her head away abruptly, unable to bear looking in that direction even once more. Her face was filled with pain and guilt, her lips trembling slightly as she muttered something to herself. But she still didn't say anything to Chen Bin that she wanted her to say.

Blood continued to flow from the wound on Ma Qingyun's breast; having been tortured for half a day, she could only lie there screaming in agony.

Jiang Lihai glanced at Chen Bin, and seeing that he showed no reaction, knowing that Sun Yanhong hadn't revealed any secrets, he gritted his teeth and slashed Ma Qingyun's breast again with his sword.

Another scream rang out, but this time it was much softer than before.

Sun Yanhong seemed unable to hold on any longer; her body, which had been sitting on the ground, now collapsed to the ground, her tear-stained face pressed against the earth, mingling with the dirt and making her face filthy. A spasm shot through her throat, a rush of air caught in her throat, and she finally managed to exhale, the sound like a low howl from a wounded wild animal.

Jiang Lihai continued to slash at Ma Qingyun's breasts, abdomen, and thighs.

Ma Qingyun was now covered in blood. Due to excessive blood loss, Ma Qingyun was in a semi-conscious state, lying there groaning, but she no longer had the strength to cry out.

Seeing Ma Qingyun's miserable state, even the other warriors of the Jiang family felt pity. Some couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned to walk back to where they had been resting.

Lin Fengxian, who had been sitting and resting nearby, could no longer bear to see this scene. He stood up, ready to come and stop this tragedy.

"Fengxian, what are you doing? Sit down!" Jiang Hanqing, who had seemed to be sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Lin Fengxian.

"Brother Qing, this... look at that... it's too cruel!" Lin Fengxian said hurriedly, as if he had seen a savior.

Jiang Hanqing closed her eyes again and said, "I understand. I originally just wanted Chen Bin to find two people to humiliate them, thinking that would force them to tell the truth. Alas! I didn't expect these three women to be so fierce, truly unyielding to the death! There's no other way now, let them be! After all, the most important thing is to get the results. What they're doing might still make the other side submit. People may not be afraid of death, but not many are unafraid of being slowly sliced to death! I originally wanted you to be in charge of this, but I was afraid you were too young to harden your heart, so I changed my mind and asked Chen Bin to do it. You must hate your enemy, and be willing to do anything to achieve your goal! Do you understand?"

Lin Fengxian paused, and replied helplessly, "I understand! Alas...!" Knowing there was no other way, he had no choice but to sit down, no longer looking in that direction, and followed Jiang Hanqing's example by leaning against the tree and closing his eyes to rest.

Chen Bin sighed again, glanced at Sun Yanhong, who was curled up on the ground trembling, shook his head, signaling Jiang Lihai to stop, and then said to Sun Yanhong, "Miss Sun, why are you doing this?! How can you bear to watch your sister-in-law suffer like this?"

Sun Yanhong stopped crying and tried to sit up, but because she was bound, she couldn't move and could only struggle on the ground. Chen Bin helped her up and let her sit on the ground. She stared at Chen Bin for a long time and said, "I never thought your Jiang family were all such beasts! I never thought! You will all have a bad end!"

Chen Bin lowered his head and remained silent, a hint of pity in his heart. After a moment of silence, Chen Bin stood up and looked at Jiang Hanqing, who was resting in the distance. Seeing that he seemed to know nothing, still with his eyes closed and motionless, ignoring what was happening here, Chen Bin understood that Jiang Hanqing meant for him to get to the bottom of things no matter what. Cursing himself inwardly as a beast, Chen Bin glanced at Jiang Wuxiong on the other side. Jiang Wuxiong had stopped toying with the woman named Sun Yanmei and was now standing by, watching Jiang Lihai torture her.

Chen Bin gritted his teeth and said cruelly, "Jiang Wuxiong, you continue torturing that woman! If she doesn't confess, cut off her nipples and clitoris. Do you understand?"

Jiang Wuxiong was stunned by Chen Bin's words. Although he enjoyed torturing women, it was limited to violent acts; he had never even considered such a deadly, almost cruel, method.

Now, Chen Bin was ordering him to do this, and completely unprepared, he was at a loss.

He shook his head, looked at Chen Bin's serious expression, and confirmed that he hadn't misheard; Chen Bin wasn't joking, and everything was true. Jiang Wuxiong said nothing; he knew it was an order, with no room for negotiation. He walked to Jiang Lihai, took the short sword from his hand with a heavy heart, then knelt down beside Sun Yanmei, looking at Chen Bin again.

Chen Bin glanced at Sun Yanmei, who remained unresponsive, muttering to herself. He then nodded to Jiang Wuxiong.

Jiang Wuxiong pinched Sun Yanmei's breast, making her nipple erect, and then pressed the tip of the sword against it. Sun Yanmei turned her head with difficulty to look at him, her eyes pleading, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling with fear.

But her pitiful appearance did not evoke Jiang Wuxiong's sympathy; instead, it fueled his deep-seated sadistic desires. The heavy guilt he had felt moments before vanished instantly.

He sneered, gently moving the short sword that was pressed against the base of her nipple and the junction of her breast. His movements were so light, as if he feared that using too much force and severing Sun Yanmei's nipple would be too easy for her. He gently sliced at Sun Yanmei's nipple, very slowly, gradually moving the blade to the base of the nipple, his teeth clenched tightly, a cruel smile playing on his lips, his eyes fixed intently on the spot where the short sword had slicing across her nipple. His expression was as if he were crafting a fine work of art.

Sun Yanmei trembled, her face contorted in agony. The pain unleashed her inner potential; her hands clawed at the ground, digging the soil away until her entire palms were embedded in the earth. She didn't scream, only gasped for breath, her eyes sometimes wide open, sometimes tightly shut, only tears of agony streaming down her face. Her chest heaved with each breath, her throat gurgled, and occasionally she let out a few unpleasant groans.

Sun Yanhong didn't look in their direction, but being only a few feet away, she could hear everything clearly. She was clearly suffering greatly; she sat there swaying, seemingly on the verge of fainting. Yet, she remained silent.

After a long while, Jiang Xiongwu's short sword finally severed the poor nipple. He pinched the bloodied, severed nipple between his fingers, slowly stood up, admiring it, and let out a series of cold laughs. At that moment, his demeanor appeared no different from that of a wild beast to his companions.

After admiring the severed nipple for a while, the demonized Jiang Xiongwu casually tossed it aside. He glanced back at Chen Bin, seeing his expressionless face, then squatted down beside Sun Yanmei, parted her labia, and began rubbing her clitoris, trying to make it protrude. But Sun Yanmei, already half-dead from the torment, was numb all over. Besides the intense pain, what could possibly arouse her? Therefore, how could she possibly feel any sensuality? Jiang Xiongwu's efforts were in vain; her clitoris remained erect. Desperate

, Jiang Xiongwu pinched the flesh around the clitoris with his hand, preparing to cut it off entirely. A desperate whimper escaped Sun Yanmei's lips.

At this moment, Sun Yanhong suddenly raised her head, staring blankly at Chen Bin, and said, "If I confess everything, will you give us three sisters a quick death?"

Hearing this, Chen Bin was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Miss Sun, don't worry! As long as you tell the truth, we will never make things difficult for you three sisters again."

He then turned and stopped Jiang Wuxiong, ordering everyone to quickly stop the bleeding and treat the two women covered in blood.

Sun Yanmei sighed, her head lolled to the side, and she fainted. On the other side, Ma Qingyun was already unconscious.

Sun Yanhong looked at her two sisters, her face filled with sorrow, and said, "We were prepared to die rather than say anything. But we never expected that the Jiang family would be so ruthless and come up with such a vicious plan. How could I bear to keep quiet while you tortured them like this! Alas!..."

At this moment, knowing that the other party was willing to confess, Jiang Hanqing had already arrived with Lin Fengxian. Hearing Sun Yanhong's words from afar, he replied, "Young lady, don't worry. As long as you tell us what we want to know, we will never torture you again!"

Chen Bin quickly went to Jiang Hanqing's side and told him the names of the three women and their relationship.

Jiang Hanqing patted his shoulder and praised, "Not bad! You really know how to handle things. Hehe!"

Seeing that Sun Yanhong was still bound hand and foot, Jiang Hanqing ordered, "Why are Miss Sun's hands and feet still bound? Chen Bin, untie her right now!"

After Sun Yanhong regained her freedom, she moved her blood vessels and saw that the bleeding from her sister-in-law's side had stopped, so she said, "Jiang the little thief! Stop pretending to be kind! Ask whatever you want to know! I never thought you could be so vicious. It seems everyone underestimated you!"

Jiang Hanqing wasn't angry and laughed, "Hehe! You flatter me, Miss! I don't deserve it! Alright, since you're willing to talk, I won't be polite. Please tell me your true origins!"

Sun Yanhong gritted her teeth and replied, "Alright! I'll tell you!"

She looked up at the sky and thought for a while before continuing, "Most of us are from the Yunmeng Sect in Yunmeng Mountain, a hundred miles away."

"The Yunmeng Sect? Your martial arts are so good, how come I've never heard of you in the martial arts world?" Lin Fengxian asked suspiciously.

"Our Yunmeng Sect has always maintained a secluded existence, living deep in the mountains, detached from worldly affairs. Only occasionally do a few disciples venture out into the martial world, and even then, the sect's secrets cannot be revealed. Therefore, the martial world has no idea of our existence

. Of course, you wouldn't know either! If you don't believe me, fine, but I'm telling the truth. The previous leader of the Yunmeng Sect was my father..." "You don't need to ask his name, plotting revenge. He passed away many years ago,"

Sun Yanhong said, seeing that Jiang Hanqing seemed about to interrupt, knowing he wanted to know her father's name.

Jiang Hanqing remained silent upon hearing this.

Sun Yanhong continued, "My father had two sons and two daughters. My eldest brother is our current sect leader, and my second brother was just killed by you... killed that bearded man. Waaah..."

Thinking of her second brother's death, Sun Yanhong cried for a while before saying, "When my father was young, he ventured into the martial world and was captured by the imperial constables because of a feud. Later, a young master from a prominent family happened to be present and, seeing his high level of martial arts at such a young age, stepped in to rescue him. This young master and my father hit it off immediately and later became sworn brothers. My father was grateful to this man and told him the secrets of his sect, promising to help him at all costs if he ever faced any difficulties."

"Who was this person who saved your father?" Jiang Hanqing asked.

“I don’t know. Don’t disbelieve me. I really don’t know! My father never mentioned his name to us, saying that he had promised that person that he would never mention his name. Later, before my father passed away, he told him that person’s name only after he asked my brother to succeed him as the head of the sect. But my brother has never let us know that person’s name since then, not even my sister-in-law knows.”

"Two years ago, that person suddenly sent a subordinate with a letter to my brother. After reading it, my brother told the messenger to go back and tell his master that the Yunmeng Sect would go through fire and water without hesitation. Later, when we kept asking, he finally told us that the person wanted us to prepare, as he might need our help in a while. We asked my brother what kind of help he needed, and he said that the Jiang family had a grudge against that benefactor and was waiting for an opportunity to defeat us. He told us to keep an eye on the Jiang family members and be careful, because they were all treacherous and vicious villains. But my brother was wrong; you are not human, you are beasts!"

Sun Yanhong couldn't help but stop and curse the Jiang family members a few more times before continuing.

"However, nothing happened for the next two years, and we gradually forgot about it. Then, a few days ago, on the evening of September 28th, my brother suddenly received a message from that person via carrier pigeon. The next day, my brother ordered all forty-odd men to pack their things and immediately set off down the mountain, saying that the opportunity to repay that person's kindness had arrived. After descending the mountain, my eldest brother went alone along another route, saying he was going to meet that benefactor and had other important matters to attend to, without telling us where he was going. He only told my second brother to take us forty men to Pingyang City to ambush you, saying that you were leading nineteen men on your way to Qiute Kingdom, and Pingyang City was a necessary stop. My eldest brother gave my second brother some contact information, including the meeting place, the contact person's name, the code, etc. He told my second brother that the contact person was the benefactor..." "My lord's men will provide us with the necessary information for our operation. My elder brother also gave us a portrait of you, saying it was sent by our benefactor with a letter. We've all seen that portrait, so we knew who you were as soon as we saw you.

After parting ways with my elder brother, we followed his orders and headed towards Pingyang City, intending to intercept and kill you first.

But when we reached the main road, we ran into the expeditionary army passing by, and all the roads along the way were closed, blocking our path. We had no choice but to stay overnight at a deserted inn, where news was scarce. We only learned of the road closure a day after the army had closed it. This delay meant we were only able to enter the city last night, and found the contact person this morning."

Jiang Hanqing interjected, "What's the contact person's name?"

"Oh. His name is Liu Rui."

Jiang Hanqing was surprised to hear this and quickly described Liu Rui's appearance as he had seen him before.

Sun Yanhong was also very surprised: "You've seen him? You know him? How could that be? Did he deceive us? Good heavens! No wonder you suddenly appeared here!"

Jiang Hanqing hurriedly asked what had happened.

Sun Yanhong said with a face full of resentment, "Yesterday evening we entered the city and went to find Liu Rui through the contact information provided by my eldest brother. We couldn't find him. This morning after breakfast, we went to look for him again and finally found him. My second brother explained our purpose to him. He then told my second brother that you had been away from the city for two days. My second brother was very anxious when he heard that you had been gone for two days. We originally intended to ambush you, but now we have to change our strategy to pursue you. My second brother wanted to catch up with you quickly, so he hurriedly led us on our way. Thinking that you were far ahead, we weren't on high alert and didn't think about hiding our tracks. Just before the attack, we saw a wide open space in that ravine we had finally managed to reach." Since we could sit together, we decided to have lunch there. While eating, my second brother was still estimating that we could catch up with you by tomorrow night. Who knew you'd only gone so far, hiding so close to us? Sigh! We were caught off guard and you discovered us, then turned the tables and attacked us. Did you also set off today? You know that guy named Liu Rui, don't you? Did he tell you that we would come to ambush you? Otherwise, how could you be so sure, attacking us as soon as you spotted us, without fear of killing the wrong person? Yes, that guy must have lied to us! That scoundrel, he killed my entire family! He…”

Jiang Hanqing didn't answer her, but instead asked, “What's your eldest brother's name?”

"Hmph... I won't tell you my brother's name! No matter what you do to us, I won't tell.

You can try if you don't believe me! I can only tell you things that won't do my brother much harm. You want to know his name so you can take revenge later, right? No way!"

Jiang Hanqing didn't ask any more questions, but instead asked, "Do you know about the skill I used to catch your second brother's sword with my bare hands just now?"

"No! Your skill is very powerful, but I don't know it."

"But your second brother seems to know it!" Jiang Hanqing was still persistent.

"I don't know where he heard about your skill, but I don't know it. My sister and sister-in-law definitely don't know it either, otherwise they would definitely tell me."

Jiang Hanqing asked for a long time, and when he was sure she was telling the truth and couldn't get any more information from her, he stopped asking. He stood there for a while, then turned and winked at Chen Bin before turning and leaving.

Sun Yanhong was about to say something when she felt a sharp pain in her chest and a chill ran through her heart. She looked down and saw a long sword piercing through her chest. Her lips trembled slightly, and before she could say anything, she collapsed to the ground with a thud.

It turned out that Jiang Hanqing's wink to Chen Bin signaled him to leave no survivors. As he turned to leave, Chen Bin walked behind Sun Yanhong, drew his longsword, and stabbed her.

Seeing Sun Yanhong fall to the ground, Chen Bin confirmed she was dead, pulled the sword from her back, and then ordered the others to kill the remaining two women.

Hearing this, the Jiang family warriors nearby dared not delay and immediately acted, stabbing the two women, who had suffered countless torments and humiliations, to their end.

Seeing Lin Fengxian's indifferent expression, Jiang Hanqing said to him, "Fengxian, do you seem to have little faith in the matter of silencing

witnesses?" Seeing Lin Fengxian nod, Jiang Hanqing earnestly told him, "Fengxian, you must never be soft-hearted towards your enemies! You must remember, 'If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back

in the spring breeze!' This is a wise saying from the ancients!" Lin Fengxian didn't say anything, only nodded. Jiang Hanqing knew he wouldn't grasp this immediately, so he didn't say more and instructed everyone to pack their things and prepare to travel.

Lin Fengxian thought for a while, then suddenly asked Jiang Hanqing, "Brother Qing, who do you think the benefactor of the Yunmeng Sect might be?"

"What do you think?" Jiang Hanqing countered.

Lin Fengxian replied, "We secretly decided on this operation at the family meeting on the afternoon of the 28th.

Yet this person was able to send a message to the Yunmeng Sect by carrier pigeon that very night, ordering them to intercept us in Pingyang City. Moreover, he knew our exact number of people, our destination being Qiu Te Kingdom, and so on. His intelligence is astonishingly accurate and swift!"

Jiang Hanqing smiled and said, "Then what side do you think this person is most likely to be?"

Lin Fengxian hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Qing, I think it's absolutely impossible for someone from another family to know this information so accurately. Besides, even if they could obtain such accurate intelligence through various means, they could never achieve such speed. Therefore, I think this must be..." "There's a traitor in our family."

Jiang Hanqing laughed a few times, "Hehe! Fengxian, ah, Fengxian! You're getting smarter and smarter! Think about it, where do you think this traitor is?"

Lin Fengxian said, "I'm not quite sure about that. Brother Qing, what do you think?"

Jiang Hanqing chuckled coldly twice, "Such accurate intelligence, who else but someone who personally attended the family meeting could get it? And didn't that woman surnamed Sun say that this person is a young master from a prominent family? Hehe!"

Lin Fengxian was taken aback, "Brother Qing, you mean... could it be that there's a traitor among our fathers?"

Jiang Hanqing glanced at him and said, "Fengxian, don't tell anyone what I'm telling you here!"

Seeing Lin Fengxian nod, he slowly said, "Not exactly a traitor. Heh heh, it's just that some people want to ascend to the throne of the family head!"

Lin Fengxian exclaimed in shock, "Brother Qing, you...you mean..."

Jiang Hanqing waved his hand to stop him from continuing, and sneered, "It's enough that you know about this. Don't say it out loud. As for who this person is, I think with Brother Fengxian's intelligence, as long as you pay a little attention, you will definitely be able to see through his disguise."

Looking around at the fact that everyone had finished tidying up, Jiang Hanqing said, "Alright! It took us an hour and a half to deal with these Yunmeng Sect thieves. Let's hurry up and get on the road! Let's travel as much as possible tonight and get up earlier tomorrow morning. If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to get ahead of the expeditionary force by tomorrow night.

Fengxian, you must remember, no matter what, do not reveal the content of our conversation to anyone! Not even your father!"

Lin Fengxian quickly swore an oath and promised not to reveal today's conversation.

Jiang Hanqing nodded and said, "I still don't understand what's going on with Liu Rui!

He seems to be someone's ambush in Pingyang City, but why did he first send a warning letter and then deceive those people? It all seems like he was helping us!"

"Yes! If he hadn't told the Yunmeng Sect that we had already set off two days ago, how could those people have been so careless? We wouldn't have been able to launch such a surprise attack so easily today." Lin Fengxian nodded repeatedly in agreement, looking like he understood Jiang Hanqing's feelings.

Jiang Hanqing mounted his warhorse and added, "Hmph... what is this guy's intention? But judging from the current situation, we'll have to deal with him a lot in the future. Next time we come back from Qiu Te, we'll pay a visit to this brother who helped us so much, but we need to be careful and communicate with him properly. Alright! Let's set off now!"

After saying that, Jiang Hanqing spurred his warhorse and headed east along the mountain road, with the group of people behind him following closely behind. The recent victory filled everyone with high spirits, making them feel that the future was bright. The feeling of how harsh the surrounding environment had seemed that morning had vanished.

Chapter

Eight: An Encounter in a Small Town

This day was the fourth day of the tenth month. More than a day had passed since the Jiang family had successfully launched a surprise attack on and defeated the Yunmeng Sect the previous noon. The previous night, in order to surpass the imperial army as soon as possible, Jiang Hanqing and his group had traveled desperately, walking in the dark for three hours before finally resting. They had only slept for two and a half hours before setting off again before dawn. Along the way, Jiang Hanqing and his group were extremely cautious, ready to repel any enemy attacks, but they encountered no more enemies.

At noon that day, a section of the mountain path they were traveling on was very close to the official road. The two paths were almost parallel, but the difference was that the wide official road wound its way eastward along the valley, while the mountain path they were traveling on cut straight through the dense forests of the high mountains beside the official road. Looking down from their vantage point, they saw the Imperial Expeditionary Army winding its way through the valley. Jiang Hanqing, familiar with the Imperial military system from the banners, quickly identified it as the vanguard of the Imperial army. At this moment, the Jiang family felt a surge of relief, for they were finally about to overtake the Imperial army's advance. This also meant they would soon be able to ride along the wide official road, no longer suffering the hardships of the mountain paths.

It was now two hours after sunset. They had just traversed a vast forest and entered another expansive but desolate mountainous region. The Jiang family was now galloping along the mountain path. Although it was still a mountain path, it was far more comfortable for them than the forest trails they had traversed the previous night. After all, the desolate mountains allowed their warhorses to move quickly, while the forest trails were too dangerous for them to ride at full speed.

Their horses, exhausted from a day's journey, had noticeably slowed their pace. Jiang Hanqing glanced at his weary followers, then spurred his horse to catch up with Chen Bin, who was leading the way. He said, "Chen Bin, I see the brothers are exhausted, and the horses are about to give out. I think we should stop here for the night and rest."

Chen Bin readily agreed, "Excellent! To be honest, young master, I'm almost at my limit too!"

Jiang Hanqing smiled at him, deeply fond of this resourceful and courageous subordinate. He instructed Chen Bin to give the order to halt and set up camp.

Chen Bin readily agreed, and at his command, everyone reined in their horses. Upon hearing that they would camp, almost everyone cheered. Riding a horse through the mountains all day was unbearable for most; finally, they could stop and rest—who wouldn't be happy!

After setting up their tents and eating their rations, the exhausted men and horses immediately fell asleep.

Hearing the soft snores of Lin Fengxian, who shared his tent, Jiang Hanqing couldn't help but smile. The past two days of frantic running had taken a toll on his cousin, who had never been to a battlefield. While the others had also suffered, they were all seasoned veterans and found this hardship insignificant, able to endure it. Lin Fengxian, however, was just a sixteen-year-old boy who had never experienced hardship before. He had only received some special training from his family and had never personally experienced the pain of a long march. Jiang Hanqing had expected him to complain endlessly, but surprisingly, he hadn't uttered a single complaint, although Jiang Hanqing could tell he had been in considerable discomfort most of the time. From this, Jiang Hanqing felt he hadn't misjudged him; this cousin was indeed a useful person in the future, and he would cultivate him diligently, training him to be his capable assistant.

Because he was preoccupied with the journey ahead, Jiang Hanqing couldn't sleep. He estimated the distance: his group had caught up with the vanguard of the main army at noon today, and imperial armies generally ceased their advance at dusk. This meant he had traveled two or three hours longer than the imperial army. Given that his group was moving much faster than the sluggish main force, he was probably at least four hours ahead of the imperial vanguard scouts, based on their pace. If all went well, tomorrow he could travel another fifty li (approximately 25 kilometers) and reach a small path leading to the main road from a crossroads. By sunset, he should reach a small town called Sanchakou (Three-Fork Crossroads), after which he could ride on the main road. Then, he would quickly make contact with the Qiu Te army. However, making contact with the Qiu Te army was no easy task! Oh well! He'd just have to adapt to the situation!

Thinking this, he finally succumbed to weariness and drifted off to sleep.

In his hazy dream, he seemed to see his mother, whom he hadn't seen for four years; she was still as beautiful as ever. In his dream, the two were tightly embracing and kissing, preparing to take her to bed, when suddenly a faceless figure rushed out and punched him hard in the head. He felt a sudden dizziness, and his mother's figure seemed to disappear into the distance. He reached out to grab her, but couldn't. He himself suddenly fell into an unfathomable abyss, and with a cry, he sat up.

Opening his eyes, he found himself sitting in a tent, Lin Fengxian squatting in front of him, nudging him. Seeing him awake, Lin Fengxian asked, "Brother Qing, what's wrong? Had a nightmare?"

Jiang Hanqing nodded, remaining silent, sitting there recalling the dream.

Lin Fengxian said, "Brother Qing, it's almost dawn. We should set off. The brothers are all up, waiting for you!"

Jiang Hanqing suddenly turned to look at Lin Fengxian, the suddenness of his movement startling Lin Fengxian. After looking at him for a while, Jiang Hanqing finally said, "Fengxian, do you think dreams can come true?"

Lin Fengxian didn't expect him to ask such a question suddenly, and he was stunned for a moment before saying, "I don't know. I really don't know! I think sometimes they do come true, but not all of them."

After saying that, as if he knew that his answer was not satisfactory, Lin Fengxian chuckled a few times and scratched his head.

Jiang Hanqing didn't say anything more, quickly packed up, and stepped out of the tent. The warriors who had been waiting outside rushed over to help pack up the tent.

Jiang Hanqing stood there, still pondering his dream: "Could this be a warning from my mother? Does it mean danger awaits on the road ahead? Mother! You, invincible under heaven, must protect your beloved son's safety!"

At this moment, Lin Fengxian nudged Jiang Hanqing, saying, "Brother Qing, everything's packed. We can set off now."

Jiang Hanqing looked around; indeed, everything was ready, and the warriors were all mounted, waiting for his orders. He shook his head and smiled wryly, then mounted his warhorse, signaling everyone to depart immediately.

The clatter of hooves spurred everyone on, and they rode eastward.

Although it was nearing the autumnal equinox, the weather this year was unusually hot. The Jiang family galloped across the desolate mountains, the bright sun hanging high in the sky, leaving both men and horses listless. The dust kicked up in their wake made it even more unbearable for those at the back.

Jiang Hanqing glanced at his sweat-soaked mount, then looked up at the sky, and said to Chen Bin, who was running beside him, "Chen Bin! Look at this awful weather! We weren't so bothered riding through the mountains a couple of days ago, but running through this open field is killing us! Sigh!"

Chen Bin nodded, looking at his exhausted companions, and said, "Yes. This weather is truly awful! Running like this for days on end will wear us down!"

Jiang Hanqing said helplessly, "There's no other way! We have to find the Qiu Te people ahead of the main army, so we have to do this. No matter how hard or tiring it is, we have to persevere! Hopefully, we can find the Qiu Te barbarians soon!"

Chen Bin smiled bitterly, "I hope so!... If we travel another half day, we can reach the main road at the fork in the road." Just

as Jiang Hanqing was about to speak, he suddenly saw Jiang Wuxiong, who was at the front of the group and had just climbed a small hill, rein in his horse and raise his hand to signal to his companions that there was a situation ahead. Everyone was startled, stopped their horses, drew their weapons, and prepared to fight the enemy.

Jiang Hanqing gestured for everyone to remain where they were, then led Chen Bin and Lin Fengxian on horseback up the hillside to Jiang Wuxiong's side.

Looking ahead, under the blazing sun, they could clearly see a group of people climbing up the hillside in the distance. The group numbered about fifty or sixty, young and old, men and women.

Jiang Hanqing examined them closely and said, "Chen Bin, look, they seem to be civilians fleeing the war, right?"

"Yes! Young Master, they should be civilians fleeing the war. They're quite pitiful!" Chen Bin quickly replied.

Jiang Hanqing nodded and said, "Yes. The common people are always the ones who suffer. They can sit at home and be struck by misfortune! The common people's demands are really low; they just want to eat and survive. But even such low demands are often difficult to meet. Alas! If someone can give the common people a couple of days of peace, they will support you! The support of the people is of paramount importance!"

After speaking, Jiang Hanqing turned and waved to his men, who were standing guard behind him, indicating that everything was alright and they could continue on their way. The group breathed a sigh of relief and spurred their horses up the hillside to continue. However, a few cautious men still kept their weapons in hand, fearing further accidents.

Once everyone had reached the hillside, Jiang Hanqing said, "Let's go see these people. If possible, we can help them. Judging from their route, they probably came from the territory occupied by the Qiu Te people. We can also inquire about the Qiu Te people while we're at it."

The group whipped their horses, and they galloped towards the group of refugees.

Seeing a group of warriors riding tall horses, kicking up clouds of dust, the ragged civilians were terrified. The surrounding terrain was flat, and escape was impossible. Helpless, they could only stand there trembling, watching the approaching riders, their hearts pounding.

Jiang Hanqing rode up to the group of refugees, stopped his horse, looked at the panicked crowd, and led them off their horses. He laughed, "Don't panic! We are not bad people, nor are we the Qiu Te barbarians. We are from the Zhenguo Duke's family of the Empire, ready to serve our country. We are currently on a mission to the east to gather intelligence on the enemy."

Cheers immediately erupted from the refugees, and the bolder ones began to chatter amongst themselves.

"I told you we're warriors of Yanhuang! Look at how scared you all are!"

"My God! It's the Zhenguo Duke's family. That's one of the four great families of the empire!"

"Look! Look! Truly worthy of the title of Zhenguo Duke, stepping forward immediately when the country is in trouble!"

"You just insisted you were cavalry from the Qiu Te barbarians. I knew it! The Qiu Te people would have fled long ago. How dare they linger in such a remote western place!"

Hearing Jiang Hanqing instruct his subordinates to distribute some relief silver to the crowd, the refugees immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Jiang Hanqing quickly pulled up those kneeling before him and repeatedly told the other people not to be so polite and to get up quickly. The crowd thanked him profusely and stood up.

At this moment, an old man, who appeared to be a respected elder among the group, walked over with faltering steps, supported by others. He bowed respectfully to Jiang Hanqing and asked, "Sir, may I ask your name?"

Jiang Hanqing replied, "My name is Jiang Qing, and I am a subordinate of my young master, Jiang Hanqing. This time, I am mainly on my young master's orders to gather intelligence on the Qiu Te barbarians. Also, I wanted to see if there were any people along the way who could be of assistance. I didn't expect to meet you all here today. By the way, sir, I would like to ask if you know anything about the current movements of the Qiu Te barbarians?"

The old man coughed and said, "Sir, your young master Jiang is truly a kind man! Please convey my gratitude to him; we are very grateful!" He then tried to kneel down and kowtow, but Jiang Hanqing quickly helped him up.

The old man struggled to give a half-bow before saying, “Sir, you were just asking about the commotion caused by the Qiu Te barbarians, right? Well, it's like this: our group lives in a small village. Our village is tiny, nestled in a small ravine. It's about 150 li east of the main road at the fork in the road ahead. Six days ago, someone spotted the Qiu Te barbarians near the village. Knowing something was wrong, we all fled overnight and hid in the mountains. Sure enough, the next day, the Qiu Te cavalry attacked our village. Luckily, everyone was hidden. We had no choice but to flee west. Fearing the Qiu Te's horses were too fast, we didn't dare take the main road and chose this desolate mountain path! Alas! Now we don't know anything about the Qiu Te people!”

Jiang Hanqing looked at Chen Bin with disappointment, gave the old man a few perfunctory words, and then led his men on their way, continuing eastward. Behind them were the reluctant refugees, still kowtowing and thanking them.

As they continued eastward, the Jiang family realized that what they had just encountered was only the beginning. Along the way, they constantly encountered all sorts of refugees, the elderly and children struggling to make ends meet. Their plight was truly pitiful. At first, the Jiang family gave them some money, but seeing the increasing number of refugees, they realized it was a drop in the ocean and futile, so they had to give up.

Jiang Hanqing repeatedly asked the refugees about the Qiu Te people, but almost everyone gave the same story: the Qiu Te barbarians suddenly attacked their village, and a few of them survived by hiding somewhere, then fled west. As for the current situation of the Qiu Te barbarians, everyone was completely clueless.

After walking for another half day, as evening approached, they finally saw the fork in the road.

Sanchakou is a small town, small in size but famous throughout the land. In fact, Sanchakou lives up to its name; it's a small mountain fork where three roads branch off. One is the road Jiang Hanqing and his group took, traversing a desolate mountain area. The other two are important official roads running east-west and north-south, respectively, which is why it's so important and famous. Countless merchants traveling north and south pass through here, resting and lodging, thus giving rise to a small town at this mountain fork. However, due to the surrounding mountains and the terrain limiting its location, although it's bustling and prosperous, it will forever remain a small town.

The Jiang family has always wanted to establish their influence in this transportation hub, but each time they sent people there, they were quickly and inexplicably murdered. After several such incidents, the Jiang family concluded that it must be the work of another force, most likely members of the other three major families, but they were powerless to stop it and eventually had to abandon the idea of establishing a secret base there. However, this also greatly affected their intelligence gathering operations across the vast eastern territories of the empire. Jiang Hanqing, passing through the area, wanted to assess the situation and see if he could leave an impact.

When he and his group entered this strategically important town, the once bustling city resembled a ghost town; most of its inhabitants had fled. After

wandering around for a while, they finally found an inn still open. The owner, seemingly fearless, dared to remain in the city and continue operating while other innkeepers fled as the Qiu Te army approached. This time, his gamble paid off: despite the impending enemy advance, there were still many travelers coming and going. Many of these travelers needed to spend the night at the crossroads, only to find that his inn was the only option available, so they flocked to it. The owner, quick-witted as ever, immediately led his staff to partition the original guest rooms into smaller units, dividing each large room into three smaller rooms. Although the guests were dissatisfied, they had no choice but to make do, as staying there would mean sleeping on the streets.

When Jiang Hanqing and his group arrived, the inn only had four such partitioned rooms left. The Jiang family had no choice but to squeeze into these four rooms. Jiang Hanqing stayed in one room by himself, while the other nineteen people were crammed into the other three small rooms. Although it was called three rooms, it was actually just a regular large suite. Because there weren't enough beds for everyone, they had to make do with sleeping mats on the floor. After that, there was almost no room to stand in the small room. Everyone cursed and swore at the heartless innkeeper. It wasn't until Chen Bin said, "Stop cursing! To be honest, we should thank the innkeeper! If it weren't for him doing this, we wouldn't even have rooms!" that they stopped cursing and asked the waiter to bring food and drink to fill their stomachs.

After solving their hunger problem, Jiang Hanqing chatted with the waiter who came to clear the dishes. It was from the waiter that Jiang Hanqing learned about the recent movements of the Qiut cavalry. Apparently, Qiut cavalry activity had been observed outside the city a few days prior, causing the city's inhabitants to flee in terror. Four days ago, a troop of Qiut cavalry arrived outside the city at dusk, seemingly intending to enter the city the next day. Almost everyone remaining in the city closed their doors, including the fearless shopkeeper. However, the next morning, the troop unexpectedly withdrew. Since then, there had been no further news of the Qiut barbarians. Yesterday, for the first time in over ten days, travelers arrived from the east, and from them, he learned that the Qiut had retreated to a place five hundred li away. Having obtained

the information he wanted, Jiang Hanqing dismissed the waiter and returned to his room, going to bed early. He quickly organized his thoughts and soon came to a conclusion: the Qiut seemed to have voluntarily retreated to avoid a decisive battle on enemy territory. Judging from the distance they had retreated, they likely intended to eventually return to their homeland. This conclusion temporarily reassured Jiang Hanqing; at least he no longer had to worry about the Qiu Te people being quickly defeated before he arrived. However, there was a downside: his journey had been greatly extended.

He also thought about how he needed to quickly tour the city tomorrow to assess the situation and confirm the feasibility of establishing intelligence points. Jiang Hanqing felt a surge of anxiety: the main army was expected to arrive in the city the day after tomorrow, and he absolutely had to complete this task by tomorrow daytime, a task that normally took several months! His family had tried for so long without success; how could he possibly figure it out in a single day? It seemed that for some time, Sanchakou would remain a blind spot for his family. For

the first time in three days, he lay on a soft bed, and an incredibly pleasant feeling made Jiang Hanqing unwilling to think about those troubling matters anymore. He closed his eyes, focusing on digesting this intoxicating feeling, and a deep sleep gradually crept in.

Just as he was half-asleep, a strange sound suddenly entered his ears, startling him awake from his dream. He sat bolt upright, his right hand swiftly reaching under his pillow to grasp the hilt of the sword he'd placed there before bed. Just as he was about to pull it out, he chuckled, his tense body relaxing instantly. He'd clearly heard the sounds that had dragged him from his drowsiness—the moans coming from the room next door.

Jiang Hanqing laughed at his own neurotic behavior, lay back down, and closed his eyes, trying to regain his sleep. But this time, he couldn't fall asleep no matter what. The moans were so clear, making his already strong dependence on women even more unbearable.

Since he couldn't sleep, Jiang Hanqing decided to go out for a walk.

As soon as he opened the door, he almost burst out laughing. The source of the lewd sounds was the room opposite his. At that moment, seven or eight Jiang family warriors were peeking through the window, having poked a hole in the paper windowpane. Jiang Hanqing frowned, about to call his men back to avoid embarrassing themselves, but then a thought struck him: why not take a look himself, to see how others were having sex? It might be a good way to relax after the tension of the past few days. Having made up his mind, he was about to walk towards the group.

Just then, several Jiang family warriors heard the door open behind them and turned around. Seeing their young master, they were startled. They were about to say something to their young master to cover their tracks when Jiang Hanqing smiled and waved at them, then walked over himself. Judging from his expression, he clearly wanted to peek too. Overjoyed, the group quickly made way for Jiang Hanqing.

Jiang Hanqing pressed his face against the small hole his men had poked in the window paper and looked inside. Heh heh, it really was a lively affair! Inside, a burly man, completely naked, was vigorously having sex with a woman in a doggy-style position.

The burly man's muscles were bulging, and his large head was perched on his neck. From Jiang Hanqing's angle, he could just see the profile of his face. He looked to be about thirty years old, with very defined features, but nothing particularly striking. He had ordinary eyes, thick eyebrows like any man, and a nose and mouth of a similar shape. The only thing that left a deep impression was a blood-red scar on the side of his ear.

From this angle, he couldn't see anything about the woman lying on the bed. However, her breasts, swaying violently with the man's thrusts, were particularly noticeable.

The burly man seemed to know that a group of people were peeping outside, and he grinned widely in the direction of the Jiang family. Even so, his movements didn't slow down; instead, they became even more rapid, as if the peeping was his motivation.

The woman suddenly said something, and the burly man stopped, withdrawing his enormous penis from her vagina. Several of the Jiang family warriors who were spying outside were secretly saddened after seeing the length of his manhood, wishing they could rush in and cut it off.

The woman on the bed jumped down and stood facing the crowd outside the window. The voyeurs outside could now clearly see her face: a round face, red lips, a high nose, slender eyebrows, and a single, bright blue eye—truly a stunning beauty. In her early thirties, she was at the peak of her beauty, making one want to embrace her and kiss her.

Looking at this woman with black hair and those sapphire-like eyes, the crowd felt a sense of intoxication, a dizzying urge to go and hug her, to find some real feeling.

Undoubtedly, this woman was not a pure-blooded Chinese; the blood of the Western Regions certainly flowed in her veins. Her breasts were full and firm, and her long legs would surely drive any Chinese woman who saw them mad with envy.

The pubic hair on her lower abdomen was beautifully distributed, with just the right density, looking incredibly sexy.

The woman smiled towards the window, then bent over sideways, one hand on her thigh, her buttocks raised high towards the large man. The burly man chuckled lewdly, slapping her plump buttocks twice. "Slap! Slap!"—The crisp sound of skin hitting skin made Jiang Hanqing suddenly feel dizzy, his sadistic blood boiling. He seemed to see himself slapping his mother's buttocks.

The woman let out two groans, turning her head to look at the burly man, leering, "Want to die! You damn bastard!"

The burly man grinned, grabbing her buttocks and kneading them twice. Then, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, thrusting his lower body towards her vagina.

A crisp "slap!" of flesh hitting flesh was clearly audible even to Jiang Hanqing and the others outside the window.

The woman's face showed an expression of extreme pleasure, her mouth wide open, but she couldn't utter a sound for a long time.

"Slut, is it good? Hmm! You dare call me a bastard! I'll fuck you to death!" the burly man said arrogantly, grabbing the woman's long hair and pulling it back forcefully, forcing her head back.

The woman took a couple of breaths, calming down from the pleasure of the previous thrust, and sneered, "Don't be so smug! You were just bragging, and I almost got you! Now you're all smug? What are you so proud of? If you're so capable, take me down!"

The burly man, enraged, yelled, "Fuck your cunt! I was just being gentle, afraid you couldn't handle it. You motherfucker, and now you're getting all worked up!"

The woman seemed impatient, and moved her hips back and forth, saying, "Alright! Stop talking! Show me what you've got."

The burly man didn't say anything more, gripping her waist with both hands, his upper body stiff, his penis rapidly thrusting back and forth.

A series of slapping sounds echoed in the room, interspersed with the panting and moaning of the man and woman, making the group of people outside blush, each of them getting erections.

The woman's breasts hung limply beneath her, and with each deep thrust of the man, his lower abdomen slamming against her buttocks, her body would lurch forward, her breasts swinging accordingly. If she hadn't been bracing herself on her thighs, she would surely have been knocked to the ground by the man's powerful thrusts. When the man withdrew his penis, the woman's body would quickly return to its normal position, and her breasts, which had swung forward, would now turn back, and due to inertia, swing backward across the axis perpendicular to her body. The man continued to thrust in and out, and the woman's body would repeatedly sway forward and back, her breasts swinging back and forth incessantly. The two bright red nipples on her breasts, with their vivid color, traced alluring trajectories in the air, causing the men outside the window to lick their lips, smack their tongues, and swallow hard.

From their perspective, they could clearly see the union of the two bodies. The man's penis acted like a connecting rod, linking their bodies in a reciprocating piston-like motion. When withdrawn, it was mostly exposed in the air; when inserted, it was fully inserted into the woman's secret place.

The man's thrusting motion was so vigorous that occasionally, the penis would slip out of the woman's wet vagina. Each time this happened, the woman would stop writhing, turn around, and glare at the man with gritted teeth, expressing her displeasure. The man, his face flushed, would quickly press his penis against the woman's vulva and thrust forcefully, inserting it again to the hilt.

As their excitement increased, the frequency of their movements rose. Sweat poured from their bodies, flowing down their thighs. Most of the sweat on the woman's chest gathered at the tips of her breasts, dripping from her nipples as her body swayed. Soon, the ground around them was covered in sweat.

After countless thrusts, the man's movements gradually slowed, but the force of his thrusts increased. Each thrust felt like he was about to pierce the woman beneath him. Each heavy blow elicited a shrill scream from the woman. Judging from her wanton appearance, it was clear that her clitoris was being struck hard by the enormous glans each time.

The man leaned down, pressing his chest against the woman's back, reaching out to pinch and fondle her swaying breasts, while his lower body continued its movements without ceasing. The woman's breasts changed shape in his hands, further emphasizing their fullness and plumpness. Even Jiang Hanqing, a seasoned expert who had seen countless beautiful breasts, couldn't resist the urge to kiss them. Stimulated

by the man's fondling of her breasts, the woman giggled lasciviously, saying in a lewd voice, "Hehe! You little rascal, I didn't know you were so skilled! You're making me feel so good!"

"Nonsense! I told you long ago, I'm fucking amazing! You think that's all there is to it? Actions speak louder than words!"

The woman turned back and glared at him amidst her busyness, smiling seductively, "Oh! A few words of praise and you're already on top of the world! You...think...hehe...ouch...you...ah!"

The woman was about to mock the man, but before she could finish the first sentence... The man intensified his movements, repeatedly slamming his penis against her cervix, turning her mocking words into moans and cries of pleasure before she could even utter them.

"Heh heh! Little bitch, you... still dare to be arrogant! Hmm!... Damn it... you think you're... strong? You're nothing but... being fucked like a horny sow by me!" the burly man said smugly, panting.

The woman wanted to retort, but she was too weak to speak, only able to gasp and moan.

"Ah!... Ee... Oh!"

This sound was like her surrender, making the man even more excited and more vigorous.

Soon, the woman's hand supporting her thighs began to slip, unable to support her body. Just as her body slid limply downwards, the man's arm encircled her slender waist, preventing her from collapsing to the ground.

Feeling victorious, the man laughed heartily as he withdrew his still-trembling penis, picked up the woman, and tossed her onto the bed, making her lie face down on the edge. Her buttocks faced the window, and the people outside finally saw her genitals directly. Wet traces of vaginal fluid were visible on her thick labia. Due to the intense intercourse, her labia were slightly parted, and the vaginal opening was vaguely visible through the folds, like an open-mouthed infant crying for something to enter.

The burly man admired the sight before him, smugly saying, "Slut! Had enough of the front hole? Want to play with the back hole too?"

The woman simply smiled at him, remaining silent.

"Heh, looks like you're willing! You slut!" The big man said, holding up his right middle finger to her lips. "You bitch! Lick it! I'm going to stick it into your filthy asshole!"

The woman gave him a seductive look, then obediently opened her mouth and sucked on his finger, making smacking sounds.

After his fingers were licked wet, the burly man withdrew them from her mouth and moved his hand to her buttocks. He tried to probe her anus with his finger, and it easily slipped inside.

Those watching from outside the window thought, "Damn! She's got a real old cock; her anus is so well-developed, it went in so easily." After

a couple of tentative attempts, the man forcefully inserted his finger all the way in. The woman's head was held high, her eyes slightly closed, and she let out a soft moan, clearly enjoying herself.

The man thrust his finger in and out vigorously, cursing through gritted teeth, "Bitch! Hmm! Want me to play with your asshole? Fuck! I'll fuck you to death! You slut! Whore!"

His finger pumped violently in and out of the woman's anus. The woman lay there, her face pressed against the bed, her buttocks raised high. As the man's fingers probed and teased her, her buttocks swayed rapidly, and she cried out in a series of wanton moans: "Ah! Yes...yes!...I'm a prostitute!...I'm a slut!...Play with my asshole!...Please...play me to death!...Fuck my asshole raw!"

Hearing her cries, the man continued to thrust with a force that seemed determined to tear her anus apart, while coldly sneering, "Damn! There are such sluts as you! Fine! Today I'll grant your wish and fuck you to death, you stinking bitch!"

Soon, the woman reached orgasm as her buttocks were being played with. Her body went limp on the bed, her once-erect buttocks now drooping. Her vaginal fluids slowly flowed from her vulva, dripping onto a large patch of the sheets.

Looking at the woman lying there, moaning contentedly, the burly man wasn't satisfied yet. He nudged her, and seeing her lying there like a dead pig, only panting, he mocked her: "Weren't you being stubborn just now? Why aren't you saying anything now? Heh, weren't you so smug? Now you're mute? Hahaha…!"

Receiving no reply, he didn't care. He smugly flicked his eight-inch-long, erect penis, glanced towards the window, raised his head, and even demonstratively stroked it a couple of times.

The burly man used his finger to dab some of the vaginal fluid that had flowed out and smeared it on the edge of her anus, which was slightly open from the earlier rough handling. The woman, who had been limp like a pile of mud, immediately began to wriggle her buttocks again from the stimulation of her anal erogenous zones.

The burly man slapped her buttocks hard, then spread her large buttocks apart with his hands, pressed his penis against her anus, and forcefully thrust it in. The woman groaned a few times, her brow furrowed, but didn't react much. The enormous penis easily entered her seemingly small anus.

Holding the woman's swaying buttocks, the burly man thrust violently, each stroke of his penis causing the surrounding flesh to twitch intensely. The woman's anus was undergoing a tremendous ordeal, but judging from her expression, she seemed to be enjoying it, showing no sign of suffering—probably due to her well-trained anus.

The man, perhaps in high spirits, even hummed a little tune. However, due to his heavy breathing, it was impossible to understand what he was humming; it might even be mistaken for moaning. The woman, now energized beneath him, began to sway her buttocks again, leaving those outside the window wondering how she could repeatedly come back to life!

The man seemed to have had enough, his lower body feeling unbearably pent-up, only wanting to finish one last time. He abandoned all seductive tactics, thrusting wildly, seemingly intent on ejaculating quickly.

As expected, not long after, the group saw the burly man let out a low growl, pull his penis out of the woman's anus, and masturbate her for a while. Thick white semen gushed out, spraying onto the woman's back, leaving spots everywhere.

Seeing that the erotic scene was basically over, Jiang Hanqing smiled and gave his men a look, signaling them to go back to their rooms to rest. Just as they turned to leave, they heard someone shout loudly at the end of the corridor: "A bunch of petty thieves! Shameless! How dare they peep on someone's intimate moments! Alas! Justice is nowhere to be found!"

Jiang Hanqing and the others were startled and turned to look, only to see a scholar in a blue robe standing outside a room at the end of the corridor, looking at them sternly. Jiang Hanqing felt ashamed and dared not answer. After telling his men to quickly go inside, he bowed to the scholar. Seeing the scholar shake his head and sigh without saying anything more, he felt relieved and turned to enter the room.

Suddenly hearing a whooshing sound from his side and back, Jiang Hanqing's heart skipped a beat. He cried out in alarm and lunged forward. While still in mid-air, a gust of wind grazed his scalp, the sound of metal whistling through the air seeming right next to his ear.

With a "thud," Jiang Hanqing crashed to the ground, terrified of being pursued. He didn't have time to check what had attacked him; he rolled to the side, then stood up, reaching for his sword, only to realize he'd forgotten it when he left the room. He cried out in dismay. Fortunately, the attacker had only struck once and hadn't followed up. The Jiang family warriors, noticing their young master had been attacked, immediately drew their weapons and rushed out, surrounding Jiang Hanqing and shielding him behind them. Two other warriors engaged the assassin in combat.

Relieved, Jiang Hanqing then realized his attacker was a woman. The woman, dressed in a black samurai outfit that perfectly accentuated her beautiful curves, and wearing a black veil that covered even her eyes, stood in front of a window not far from Jiang Hanqing, facing the attack of three Jiang family warriors who pounced on her. The window behind her had been completely destroyed; it was through that window that she had broken out and thrown her weapon to ambush Jiang Hanqing.

At this moment, Lin Fengxian and the others rushed out upon hearing the commotion, only relieved to see that Jiang Hanqing was unharmed. The weapon the woman had thrown at Jiang Hanqing was picked up by one of the Jiang family warriors and handed to him. To Jiang Hanqing's surprise, what he held in his hand was not a knife, sword, or dart, but an ordinary iron bar. He couldn't help but begin to suspect: was this woman really trying to harm him? If not, why had she ambushed him? If so, why hadn't she used a sharp weapon, but instead chosen an iron bar that could not possibly seriously injure him? Sensing something was amiss, Jiang Hanqing looked suspiciously at the woman fighting the three Jiang family warriors.

Although the Jiang family warriors' attacks were fierce, the woman handled the onslaught of three Jiang family warriors simultaneously with apparent ease, occasionally stealing glances at Jiang Hanqing. In this confined space, she didn't move or leap, but simply stood still, wielding her longsword with the grace and power of a dragon soaring through the air. The Jiang family warriors unleashed a barrage of powerful strikes and slashes, seemingly taking advantage of her perceived weakness and attempting a contest of strength. Unfortunately, each time they attacked, before even touching their weapons, their defenses were exploited, forcing them to withdraw their weapons and prioritize survival.

After watching for a while, the Jiang family members realized that this woman's martial arts were astonishingly high. She was merely toying with the three Jiang family warriors; if she were to truly attack, two of them would likely be dead already. Jiang Hanqing knew perfectly well that while he could easily handle the combined attack of his three warriors, it was impossible for him to do so so effortlessly. This woman's martial arts skills were on par with his parents', making her one of the most skilled fighters in the world. If she had truly intended to ambush him, he would surely be dead on the spot. At this moment, Jiang Hanqing was almost certain that this woman hadn't come to harm him, but rather had some other purpose. Just

as Jiang Hanqing was about to ask a question, the woman unexpectedly spoke first.

"Silly boy! You're Xiaoqing, aren't you? Your men are quite skilled! Tell them to stop! Do I really have to use my real skills? Your mother will blame me for bullying the younger generation!"

Jiang Hanqing found her voice somewhat familiar, but couldn't recall where he had heard it before. Judging from her tone, she seemed to be from his mother's generation, and the way she addressed him was indeed the way many elders outside the family habitually used to address him.

"Stop it, all of you!" Jiang Hanqing immediately ordered the three warriors who were still stubbornly clinging to the other side to cease their actions.

The warriors quickly sheathed their swords and retreated, and the woman followed suit, sheathing her own sword and saying, "That's more like it! Hehe, can't you recognize my voice? I've seen you so many times! Not long ago, I was thinking of going to the Central Plains to travel, and I told your mother. When she heard this, she asked me to visit you on my way. She asked me to help you if you needed anything. I've been friends with your mother for many years, so I agreed. A few days ago, I went to your house and heard that you had just left home and were heading in this direction. Thinking that the journey was arduous and I was afraid something might happen to you, I quickly took a shortcut and followed you alone. Hehe, I almost got ahead of you! I just checked into a shop and booked a room..." After putting down my things, I was about to go out for a stroll. I inadvertently saw a group of people lurking by the window, and one of them looked a lot like you. Unsure, I decided to test them. So I made my move. "Heh, seeing the strength of your subordinates confirmed it. Who else could have such strength under their command, and look so much like you did when I was a child? Heh! Luckily, you haven't changed much since then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even noticed!"

Jiang Hanqing was secretly delighted. If it really was her mother who had asked her to help, then this person's abilities must be something even her mother greatly admired.

He was now almost certain that this woman was an enemy, not a friend, and that he had probably met her before. As for what had just happened, it was probably just a deliberate attempt to test their strength, as she said; otherwise, he would certainly be dead.

At this moment, more and more people gathered at both ends of the corridor, all coming out to watch the fighting inside the building. Jiang Hanqing knew that the inns in this kind of traveler-filled place were full of knowledgeable people, and he was afraid they would notice something amiss with his group, which would be disastrous. Besides, it wasn't a good place to say anything in such a crowded place.

After thinking for a moment, he was about to invite the woman into his room when he suddenly heard a man cursing from the room he had just spied on: "Damn it! You brat, it's one thing to peep at me having sex for so long! But you even had to go around doing that with that old hag outside, deliberately disturbing my rest! You bastard, watch out, I'll catch you both and fuck your mother to death!"

There were no other men in the room besides the man from before. Jiang Hanqing was angry at his insults, but because he had indeed spied on others having sex, he felt guilty and held back.

The masked woman, however, was different. Enraged, she rushed over and kicked open the door of the room.

Inside, the man remained completely naked, his arms around the woman from before, his large hand groping and kneading her bare body. Upon seeing the veiled woman, the burly man calmly released her, grabbed the sword from beside the bed, and stood up, his large penis dangling from his arm. He laughed loudly, "Yo! You slut, you've come to find your dear husband so soon!"

The veiled woman, probably not expecting the man to stand there naked without any shame, paused for a moment, but showed no intention of leaving the room. She shook her head and said, "You damned thief! Your foul language deserves to be stabbed to death! But today you're lucky, in such an ugly state, I won't waste time arguing with you! I'll let you be arrogant for now! Humph!" With that, she turned and walked out the door.

Unexpectedly, the burly man spoke up behind her, "Hey! Little girl, you think I'm all bravado? Bah! Come here, aren't you just here to lick my dick? Go find out who I, Jin Nan, am! Hehe!"

At this, the crowd at the end of the corridor immediately erupted in chatter.

"My God! He's the Jin Nan who knows all the best fighters in this dangerous place like Sanchakou, and no one can beat him!"

"No wonder he's so arrogant! Hehe, let's see how that little woman gets out of this mess! Haha!" "

I heard Jin Nan's backer is the Duke of Dingguo's family! Who can afford to mess with someone like that?!"

"Yeah! I also heard he has a huge gang of men under his command, always fighting and killing."

Jiang Hanqing suddenly realized that all her family's efforts had been ruined by this lackey of the Wang family named Jin Nan!

The masked woman stopped in her tracks upon hearing Jin Nan's words. Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, she half-turned and glanced at Jin Nan, sneering, "So you're fearless, huh! Heh heh! You dare claim to know all the best martial artists in the world, invincible! Such arrogance is unheard of! Fine! I'll give you a chance to see what a true master is!"

The masked woman turned around, drew her sword with a clang, and pointed it at Jin Nan. A sharp killing intent surged from her body. Although she stood motionless, the killing intent emanating from her was palpable, making everyone at both ends of the corridor feel uneasy. Jin Nan, standing in the middle, understood the woman's power even more. Just moments before, he had been nonchalant and carefree, but now he tensed, hunching over, his sword extended forward, guarding against her attack, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Even before they had exchanged blows, he knew he was no match for this masked woman. Now he realized that there were such terrifying experts in the world, experts he, a frog in a well, had never even dreamed of.

The mixed-race woman beside him hurriedly pulled two daggers from under the sheets and stood beside him, nervously watching the masked woman.

The masked woman snorted, her longsword slightly angled as she pointed it at the mixed-race woman, saying, "So you're in cahoots! I thought you were just two lewd people messing around! Fine, I'll grant your wish today! What's your name? I don't kill nameless nobodies!"

As soon as her sword pointed, the mixed-race woman immediately felt a tangible, icy chill press down on her chest, rendering her speechless, only able to open her mouth and stare wide-eyed.

Seeing this, the masked woman sneered twice, her murderous aura diminishing considerably. She scoffed, "A mere grain of rice dares to rival the sun and moon? Heh heh!"

Feeling the pressure lessen, the mixed-race woman finally spoke, quickly replying, "Senior, you've misunderstood! My partner didn't mean to offend you; he's just used to being rough and doesn't know how to speak properly! A boorish fellow!"

"What's your name?" The masked woman seemed pleased with her respectful tone and actually sheathed her sword. At this moment, the burly man named Jin Nan still stared at her nervously, not daring to relax for a moment.

"My name is Li Qiaolan!" The mixed-race woman breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her sword sheathed, and quickly answered when asked her name.

Jiang Hanqing, who was standing behind the masked woman admiring her martial arts skills, suddenly remembered something and said, "You're probably called Wang Meiyun, right?"

Hearing this, the mixed-race woman's face changed drastically. She looked at the masked woman in terror and said, "No! No! My name is Li Qiaolan! Not that Wang Meiyun!" Her body trembled slightly as she spoke, her eyes unfocused.

It turned out that the Wang Meiyun Jiang Hanqing mentioned was the daughter of a cousin of the current Duke of Dingguo, Wang Mingde, and a woman from the Western Regions. From a young age, she was intelligent and resourceful, especially interested in gathering gossip. Later, she played a significant role in the Wang family's intelligence gathering organization, and the Jiang family's intelligence files contained a special record of her. Jiang Hanqing had once seen information about her: "Black hair, blue eyes. Skilled at using moth-eyebrow daggers." For the past two years, they had heard little news of her, and the Jiang family had no idea what she was doing or where she had gone.

When the onlookers mentioned that Jin Nan was a man of the Duke of Dingguo, Jiang Hanqing was overjoyed. He knew this news was a godsend; the Wang family's purpose in placing Jin Nan at this crucial transportation hub was obvious. He also judged that most of the men his family had sent before had been ruined by this guy, and now that he knew about him, he was determined to seize the opportunity to eliminate him. However, he hadn't had a chance to notice the mixed-race woman yet, because the masked woman's display of skill at this moment both surprised and delighted him, immediately capturing his full attention. It wasn't until the mixed-race woman took out her pair of moth-eyebrow daggers that he suddenly realized: a mixed-race woman, blue eyes, using moth-eyebrow daggers, and mixed in with the people the Wang family had placed here—wasn't this Wang Meiyun? So, he unexpectedly asked her, and judging from the woman's terrified reaction, Jiang Hanqing was even more certain that his judgment was correct; this person was indeed Wang Meiyun.

Jiang Hanqing was overjoyed; today he had unintentionally caught two big fish. If these two venomous fangs planted by the Wang family at the crossroads could be removed, the blow to the Wang family would undoubtedly be severe. Especially Wang Meiyun; Jiang Hanqing knew that given Wang Meiyun's position in the Wang family, placing her here meant she was in charge of all intelligence work in this crucial transportation hub. If that brute named Jin Nan was insignificant, then once Wang Meiyun was eliminated, the entire Wang family's intelligence gathering operations in the eastern part of the empire would be greatly affected.

Thinking this, Jiang Hanqing saw the masked woman lower her longsword, seemingly intending to let them go. He hurriedly shouted, "Quick! Kill them! These two are no good! Eliminate them immediately!"

Unexpectedly, the masked woman completely sheathed her sword, turned to him, and said, "You're ordering me around? Hmph! Even your mother wouldn't dare speak to me like that, and you, you fool, dare to be so arrogant? You want me to kill them? I'll let them go!"

Without waiting for Jiang Hanqing's reply, she turned to the pair of thieves and said, "Get out of here!"

Jiang Hanqing panicked upon hearing this and pointed towards the house. His men immediately drew their weapons, intending to rush into the house and kill the two.

Unexpectedly, the masked woman blocking the doorway drew her longsword again, shouting, "I said let them go! Didn't you hear me? If you want to die, come here! You fool, let me tell you! Don't think I won't attack you just because I care about your mother! Today you either let them go, or... Hmph! Even if I see your mother later, I won't let her off the hook!"

The Jiang family members were at a loss, all looking to Jiang Hanqing for instructions.

Jiang Hanqing was furious. He couldn't believe his mother had hired such an unreasonable woman who acted solely on her whims. However, he knew that if he turned against this woman now, given her martial arts skills, the price they would pay would be extremely high. Moreover, if this woman were to genuinely help him, her future potential would be unpredictable. As for the two Wang family members, he now knew their backgrounds and could deal with them later.

Weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Hanqing immediately ordered his men to put away their weapons and return to their rooms to rest. Then, he said to the masked woman, "What are you saying! How could I possibly fight you? Hehe, you are my elder! You say so, so I will! Please come to my room first, and I will serve you tea, how about that?"

The masked woman nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good! This is the obedient Xiaoqing I remember! Alright, you two ignorant fools, you'd better get lost before I change my mind!"

After saying that, she put away her weapons, and Jiang Hanqing led the way to his room.

As for Wang Meiyun and Jin Nan, they naturally didn't dare to delay any longer. They scurried out of the room, pushed aside the crowd of onlookers at the end of the corridor, and fled in panic.

Once inside the room, Jiang Hanqing quickly invited the woman to sit down and personally brewed her a cup of tea and brought it to her.

The woman still hadn't removed her black veil. Watching Jiang Hanqing finish, she leisurely said, "Little Qing! Judging from your expression, you can't recognize my voice? It seems you don't care about me at all!"

Jiang Hanqing awkwardly replied, "This… um… you must be from my mother's side in the Western Regions, right?… I was quite young then, and I've been away from the Western Regions for many years… this!"

The veiled woman laughed, "Hehe! You don't need to explain. Actually, there's nothing to explain. You've only met me four times. The last time I saw you, you were only fifteen. So many years have passed, it's perfectly normal that you can't recognize my voice. Hehe! I was just joking!"

Jiang Hanqing finally relaxed and laughed twice. Just as he was about to ask the veiled woman her true identity, she reached out her fair hand and slowly removed her black veil.

Jiang Hanqing was immediately stunned, speechless for a long time before finally managing to stammer, "You...are...!"

Chapter Nine: A Good Person from the Streets

Chapter Nine: A Good Person from the Streets

As the woman slowly removed her black veil, Jiang Hanqing felt the room brighten considerably.

Before her was a stunningly beautiful face. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like clear autumn water, her lips like cinnabar, and her teeth like pearls. An air of arrogance emanated from her, giving the impression that she was not to be compared to other beauties. Although she had previously seemed quite senior, even of the same generation as Jiang Hanqing's mother, she now appeared to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Although Jiang Hanqing had grown up surrounded by beautiful women and was used to seeing all kinds of beauties, he was still stunned when he saw this woman. He stammered for a while before finally managing to stammer, "You...are...!"

The woman frowned, displeased, and said, "What are you looking at?"

"Yes! Oh! Nothing?...It's just that seeing your kind and beautiful face reminded me of my dear mother! In my eyes, you are just like my mother!" Jiang Hanqing spoke flattering words, his face full of sincerity, but at the same time, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. In his mind, however, he was imagining a lewd scene of disciplining her. For him to compare a woman to his mother was, of course, to consider her his sex slave.

Of course, this woman had no idea the hidden meaning behind Jiang Hanqing's comparison of her to his mother. She thought he was praising her, and with a slight smirk, she said, "You're still as sweet-talking as ever! I know you're lying, but for some reason, I, Bai Yingjue, just fall for it! Sigh!"

Seeing the woman's slight smirk before she smiled, and hearing her name, Jiang Hanqing suddenly had a flash of insight, remembering this woman's background.

When Jiang Hanqing was only ten years old, he was growing up with his mother stationed in the Western Regions. At that time, Yin Yufeng had heard of a woman named Bai Yingjue in the Western Regions, whose martial arts were extremely high. Yin Yufeng, already ranked among the empire's five greatest masters, challenged this woman to five duels, managing only one win and four losses, a complete defeat.

Afterwards, the usually arrogant and haughty Yin Yufeng, who rarely submitted to others, greatly admired her martial arts and became her friend. This woman then became a close confidante of Yin Yufeng.

Later, Yin Yufeng repeatedly invited her to stay at her military camp. It was during this time that Jiang Hanqing met her. Although still very young, Jiang Hanqing already understood many things about men and women. Seeing Bai Yingjue's beauty, he was filled with all sorts of lewd fantasies. Harboring wicked intentions, Jiang Hanqing tried to please her, often saying nice things to make her happy, hoping to leave a good impression so he could have an opportunity to have an affair with her later. Although Bai Yingjue was usually taciturn, out of a woman's innate maternal instinct, she doted on the seemingly innocent and cute young Hanqing, treating him very well and almost always granting his requests. At that time, whenever Jiang Hanqing tried to amuse her, she would smile wryly. Jiang Hanqing always remembered this habitual gesture vividly.

However, after Jiang Hanqing turned fifteen, this woman went into seclusion in the mountains to cultivate her divine skills, and Jiang Hanqing never saw her again. As he grew older and more women entered his life, he gradually forgot about the woman who had once stirred so many fantasies within him. Who

would have thought that seven years later, just when he had almost forgotten her, he would hear the woman before him utter the name Bai Yingjue. Coupled with the subtle smirk she made when she smiled, Jiang Hanqing immediately retrieved the image of this woman from the depths of his long-buried memories.

Looking at the stunningly beautiful woman before him, Jiang Hanqing thought to himself, "Good! Bai Yingjue, you're really choosing the path to hell when there's a way to heaven! I had almost forgotten about you, but you've come knocking on my door again! Hmph!

I was too young to handle you back then. Now... hehe... if I don't turn you into my obedient, beautiful female dog, I'll have wasted my life as a man! And all the skills I painstakingly learned from my mother about training women will have been for nothing! Haha!"

Imagining conquering Bai Yingjue, putting dog collars on her and his mother, and then dragging them both naked and crawling on the ground, a smile crept onto Jiang Hanqing's lips.

Turning his head, he saw Bai Yingjue looking at him suspiciously with a strange smile on her face. Afraid she would see through his ulterior motives, Jiang Hanqing immediately feigned a delighted reunion, laughing, "Aunt Ying, it's you?! Nephew! Really... I really can't believe it!"

Aunt Ying was what Jiang Hanqing had called Bai Yingjue back then. The reason he called her Aunt Ying was mainly because, in his mind, he actually called her "lustful aunt." The difference in the nasal sound was like night and day; how could Bai Yingjue possibly imagine that a child's thoughts could be so despicable!

Hearing Jiang Hanqing call out the name he used to call her back then, Bai Yingjue felt a surge of joy and nodded with a smile, "Hehe! You little ingrate! I thought you'd forgotten me! Hehe, thank goodness! You still remember your Aunt Ying, so it wasn't for nothing that I came all this way for you!"

Hearing Bai Yingjue refer to herself as "Aunt Yin" after her, Jiang Hanqing felt a surge of smugness, "Haha! You think you're so special, but you're still being played by me! Damn it! One day, I'll call you Aunt Yin right to your face! Just you wait, you slut!"

Thinking this in her heart, she didn't dare to be negligent at all on the surface. Jiang Hanqing said, "Aunt Ying, how could I forget you? You were so good to me when I was little! I'll always remember how good you were to me!" As she spoke, she pretended to be very excited and shook Bai Yingjue's hand twice.

Bai Yingjue's hand was very soft, and it felt as if it were nothing in Jiang Hanqing's hand. The moment their skin touched, Bai Yingjue trembled slightly, her hand trying to pull back, but Jiang Hanqing held it back. Her face flushed crimson, and she glanced at Jiang Hanqing, seeing his delighted expression, seemingly oblivious to what had happened. Bai Yingjue finally relaxed a little and lowered her head to whisper, "Xiaoqing! The reason Aunt Ying came to the Central Plains this time was actually to see you!"

Jiang Hanqing was overjoyed and quickly said, "Aunt Ying, you...!"

Bai Yingjue raised her head shyly, her face flushed, and said, "Aunt Ying has been living in seclusion in the western mountains for the past few years, focusing on martial arts and practicing diligently, without caring about the outside world. But I often think about you, my little devil, and I think you're quite adorable.

If it weren't for the fact that I can't be distracted even for a day while practicing my divine skill, I would have come out to see you long ago. After seven years of seclusion, I finally mastered the divine skill I had been working so hard to cultivate, so I thought of coming to the Central Plains to get some fresh air and also to see you.

So I went to see your mother ." I asked about your recent situation. Your mother was very happy to hear that I was coming to see you, and even gave you a keepsake, asking you to teach you well! Haha! ...A few days later, I went to the capital to find your family, and with the keepsake your mother gave me, I met your father, only to learn that you were going to the Qiu Te people. I was afraid something might happen to you, so I hurriedly chased after you. Luckily, I found you. Thinking about it now, it was quite a close call. I didn't even know what you looked like anymore, and I just foolishly chased after you like that. I was so anxious at the time that I didn't even think about what would happen if I missed you! Haha!"

Jiang Hanqing said with emotion, "That's because Aunt Ying cares about her nephew!"

After a pause, Jiang Hanqing asked, "Aunt Ying, how is my mother... how has she been lately? Is she alright?" His face was full of concern as he spoke.

Seeing his natural concern for his mother, Bai Yingjue nodded secretly, thinking that she hadn't misjudged this child; he was truly kind-hearted. Deeply moved, she said, "Your mother is well! Very well! She just misses you a little! She hasn't seen you for so many years, and I think she really wants to see you again. She almost cried when she mentioned you. After this matter is over, you should go see her!"

Hearing his mother miss him so much, and thinking about how he hadn't seen her for four years, Jiang Hanqing felt a pang of sadness, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing his tearful appearance, Bai Yingjue quickly comforted him, telling him not to be sad.

Jiang Hanqing suppressed his longing for his mother, raised his head, and looked at Bai Yingjue with a serious expression. He said firmly, "Aunt Ying! From now on, I will treat you as my mother, and I will treat you as well as a mother would!"

Poor Bai Yingjue was deeply moved by his words and nodded repeatedly in agreement. She thought to herself, "Ah! It's so hard for Xiaoqing, so kind and innocent even at such an age! But… Xiaoqing has really grown up now, and she's… kind of… pretty!" Thinking this, her face flushed, and she stole a glance at Jiang Hanqing's expression, afraid he would see through her thoughts, and quickly lowered her head.

Jiang Hanqing saw her expression and secretly felt pleased, knowing he had made a good impression on her. However, he knew that he couldn't push a woman with such high abilities and haughty manners too far. Otherwise, this proud woman would naturally have a rather strange temper, and might very well turn on him like she did when she let those two Wang family bastards go.

Knowing he couldn't push her too far, he changed the subject, telling Bai Yingjue about the reasons, purpose, and plans for his trip to Qiu Te, as well as the mission he wanted to accomplish at the crossroads: establishing a base.

When Bai Yingjue heard how important the two people she had let go were, she felt extremely ashamed, secretly regretting her temper at that moment, and quickly apologized to Jiang Hanqing. Jiang Hanqing, naturally very magnanimous, repeatedly said, "It's alright! It's alright!"

Seeing Jiang Hanqing's generosity, Bai Yingjue felt even more guilty and secretly resolved to find an opportunity to make it up to him later.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Hanqing invited her to accompany him to Qiu Te to help him achieve his goals.

Feeling guilty, Bai Yingjue naturally accepted his invitation without hesitation, much to Jiang Hanqing's delight; he now had another object to toy with on his journey.

Then the two talked about how Jin and Nan had lost face in front of everyone that day. Judging from their arrogant and domineering manner, they would likely seek revenge tonight, and

the two should be extra careful. They chatted like this for two hours before they realized it.

Jiang Hanqing suddenly realized it was getting late and asked Bai Yingjue to go back to her room to rest, saying she would accompany him to observe the situation in the city tomorrow. Although Bai Yingjue didn't want to leave immediately, she felt awkward staying in Jiang Hanqing's room any longer and went back to her room to rest.

After Bai Yingjue left, Jiang Hanqing summoned Chen Bin and instructed him to tell the brothers to be extra careful tonight, wary of the two thieves from the Wang family who had come to retaliate. Chen Bin, not taking it lightly, immediately went to assign men to keep watch that night. Seeing that everyone was prepared, and estimating that even if something went wrong, there would be enough warning to wake them up, Jiang Hanqing temporarily relaxed and lay down to rest. Before falling asleep, he was still thinking: that brute named Jin Nan, he clearly can't stand being taken advantage of, and he's not very bright. He'll most likely come to retaliate tonight. I need to get some rest before he comes.

When Jiang Hanqing woke up, he found it was already broad daylight. The expected enemy hadn't arrived. Jiang Hanqing was puzzled for a long time, thinking, "Could it be that Jin Nan and the others were truly too scared to come because of Aunt Ying's martial arts?

Logically speaking, given the Wang family's strength at Sanchakou, they must be formidable, having repeatedly annihilated the large number of Jiang family members they sent to establish a base here! Judging from Jin Nan's temper yesterday, if he possessed such strength, he shouldn't have been so cowardly! Could there be some conspiracy?"

At this moment, Chen Bin entered the room to see him, and Jiang Hanqing asked him if his companions on duty the previous night had discovered anything.

Chen Bin answered without hesitation, "Something is very strange! The brothers on night watch reported to me last night that they discovered many warriors patrolling the inn at night with knives, a very tight security situation. He observed for a long time and found that these patrolling warriors were all sent by the inn itself… Apart from that, nothing else suspicious happened."

Jiang Hanqing was shocked. Could this inn possess such strength? It seems the inn itself played a significant role in preventing Jin Nan and his men from retaliating last night. But is this inn truly so powerful that even the Wang family's influence here wouldn't dare offend it? And even if the innkeeper's father wasn't afraid of Jin Nan, how could he be so unafraid of the danger of the Qiu Te cavalry breaching the city, daring to stay here to observe the situation and profit from the national crisis? How could an ordinary innkeeper possess such power?

After pondering for a long time without finding a solution, Jiang Hanqing decided to first see Bai Yingjue and ask for her opinion.

He ordered his men to bring water, and after washing up, Jiang Hanqing went to see Bai Yingjue.

Bai Yingjue had been up for some time and was meditating cross-legged in her room. Hearing the door open, she opened her eyes and saw Jiang Hanqing enter, quickly inviting him to sit down.

Jiang Hanqing then mentioned that the enemy hadn't retaliated last night, saying it seemed to be because the inn possessed considerable strength, and added that he found it very strange—how could an inn be so powerful?

Bai Yingjue, always arrogant, naturally disagreed with Jiang Hanqing's view. She believed that her unparalleled martial arts skills, demonstrated yesterday, had deterred a coward like Jin Nan from coming. Therefore, she remained noncommittal regarding Jiang Hanqing's statement, though she couldn't say it outright. She simply remarked that it was normal for an inn to prepare some defensive measures in the event of war.

Jiang Hanqing, being as astute as she was, immediately understood her true thoughts. Not wanting to dwell on the matter, he suggested they go out and see the city. Bai Yingjue, also eager to see this renowned small city, readily agreed.

As the two descended the stairs and arrived at the inn's lobby, the waiter, whom Jiang Hanqing had spoken to the previous night, approached and bowed, saying, "Oh, sir! I was just looking for you! My master would like to invite you for a cup of tea. Would you do me the honor?"

Jiang Hanqing thought to himself, "Heh! The master is about to make his grand entrance. Let's see what kind of master he is!"

He glanced at Bai Yingjue, seeing that she still maintained her indifferent and arrogant demeanor and showed no sign of objection, so he agreed to the waiter's request.

The two followed the waiter to the inn's accounting office. Upon entering, the waiter bowed to a person sitting inside, saying, "Master, the guest you requested has arrived."

Jiang Hanqing looked closely and was greatly surprised. Sitting inside was none other than the scholar in blue robes who had reprimanded him for peeping the previous night. He had been too far away last night to get a good look at him today.

The shop owner was about thirty years old, with a handsome and upright face, exuding an air of sternness. A small tuft of beard on his chin added to his mature and composed appearance; his eyes were bright and piercing, seemingly able to see right through a person.

When the owner saw Jiang and Bai enter, he seemed captivated by Bai Yingjue's beauty, giving her a few extra glances before finally inviting them to sit down. The waiter brought out tea for them and then discreetly withdrew.

Sitting there, facing the shop owner's direct gaze, even Jiang Hanqing, with his thick skin, couldn't help but blush, remembering how the owner had witnessed his despicable behavior the previous night. As soon as the waiter left the room, he stood up and bowed deeply to the scholar in the blue robe, saying, "So you are the owner of this place, sir. I am truly sorry for last night! I did not intend to do such a thing."

The scholar in the blue robe smiled and said, "I am indeed the owner of this inn, named Sun Xianghe. As for what you intend to do, young master, how could I dare to interfere? I acted impulsively last night and spoke rudely; please forgive me! Please sit! Please sit!"

Seeing Jiang Hanqing sit down, before he could say anything, Sun Xianghe continued, "I invited you here today not to apologize or admit my mistake, but because I have something important to tell you."

Jiang Hanqing looked... Judging from his appearance, it was likely related to the Jin Nan incident, so he quickly replied, "I'm all ears!"

Sun Xianghe said in a deep voice, "Does the gentleman know the background of those two people from last night?"

Jiang Hanqing knew that the other party had a deeper purpose in inviting him today, so he didn't hide anything and nodded, "I know! I didn't know at first, but after hearing what the onlookers said, I understood! They are from the Wang family of the Duke of Dingguo, right?"

Seeing that Jiang Hanqing could still speak so easily after knowing the other party's background, Sun Xianghe couldn't help but look him over a few more times and slowly said, "Actually, I can also tell that the gentleman is also of great importance! Take judging your family, for example, although my judgment is clumsy..." Although their ranks were inferior, it was clear that each of them possessed extraordinary skills, truly deserving the title of elite troops. As for this lady, could she be the masked heroine from last night? Madam's martial arts skills are truly awe-inspiring; I am speechless with admiration! Although I have never practiced martial arts, I have read many martial arts manuals, understand many principles of martial arts, have met many masters and extraordinary heroes, and witnessed countless martial arts competitions. However, after witnessing Madam's divine skills last night, I realized that my previously self-proclaimed superior skills are nothing but a grain of rice before true masters. The world is indeed vast and teeming with talented people; how could we, frogs in a well, possibly even begin to comprehend them? "Your martial arts have reached such a level!"

Suddenly realizing he had gone off-topic, the shopkeeper coughed twice to cover it up and continued, "The Duke of Dingguo's family is one of the four great families of the empire, wielding immense power and influence. Everyone knows this. In my opinion, there are probably very few people in the world who, knowing someone is from the Duke of Dingguo's family, can remain as nonchalant as you, young master! As for your true identity, I dare not presume to guess. I invited you here today simply to get to know you two esteemed individuals; I have no other intentions!"

Seeing that Jiang Hanqing showed no displeasure, Sun Xianghe changed the subject.

It turned out that Sun Xianghe was thirty-four years old this year and had lived in Sanchakou for generations. Since his great-great-grandfather's generation, the Sun family had run this inn. Because Sanchakou was a strategic location, the inn's business had always been booming, making the Sun family one of the wealthiest families in the area.

When the business passed to Sun Xianghe's father, it flourished even more. He even began training his own warriors to protect the inn, deterring the local thugs from causing trouble and making him a prominent figure in the city. However, Sun Xianghe's father always harbored a regret: the Sun family had always been merchants, wealthy but lacking in social standing. To eliminate this family tradition, he desperately wanted his son, Sun Xianghe, to achieve academic success and bring honor to the family, so he had Sun Xianghe study diligently from a young age. Sun Xianghe proved to be very promising, starting his studies at six, becoming a student at twelve, a scholar at sixteen, and a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) at twenty-one. The following year, he passed the imperial palace examination, receiving imperial approval and ranking among the successful candidates. The old man, accompanying his son to the capital, was overjoyed, believing his family had achieved great success.

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